UP ALYANSA

Pagbati mula sa UP ALYANSA ngayong Pasko

2011-12-25T12:00:00.002+08:00

Iskolar para sa Bayan... Pailawin ang PAG-ASA.

Bumabati ang UP ALYANSA ng isang Mapayapa at Makabuluhang Pasko!

GASC 2011: On the Alleged Online Campaign to 'UNSEAT THE SR'

2011-12-22T10:37:00.002+08:00

December 21, 2011, 12:20PM: ALYANSA Chairperson Tin Borja received text messages from council members in the General Assembly of Student Councils (GASC) clarifying if ALYANSA is indeed moving for the "Unseating of the Student Regent". This is due to the announcement made by the Student Regent in the GASC where ALYANSA is alleged to have started an online campaign to UNSEAT THE SR.

As of 12:40PM, ALYANSA Chairperson, in a phone conversation with the Student Regent clarified that the no such move is being done by the formation. The SR has announced the same to the body.

As the formation is directly implicated, we strongly condemn these false accusations against the formation that we are for the unseating of the Student Regent. We are disgusted that any group can sink this low to spread such lowly rumors against the formation.

ALYANSA believes in safeguarding our democratic right to representation in the University's policy-making bodies and other avenues. Hand in hand with this is securing transparency and accountability in all levels of student government in pursuit of student empowerment. With this, we remain steadfast in our commitment to work towards strengthening student institutions through principled methods of engagement and never through counterproductive means.

We call upon all the students to remain vigilant and critical with the flood of false rumors being propagated. Albeit divides and differences in debates, ALYANSA will continue to engage the institution that is the OSR through legal, constitutional, and substantial means, as we have done so in the past.

Iskolar para sa Bayan, kasama ka sa malinis at marangal na laban para sa pagpapatibay ng demokrasya sa Opisina ng Rehente ng mga Mag-aaral.

ALYANSA for [S]ecuring [R]epresentation

2011-12-22T10:35:00.000+08:00

Every year, the General Assembly of Student Councils (GASC), composed of our elected student council members from the constituent units of the University, convenes to ratify the Codified Rules for Student Regent Selection or the CRSRS, a document that serves as the "rule book" for the selection process of the Student Regent.

Being the only student member chosen among our ranks to represent us in the highest decision-making body on campus which is the Board of Regents (BOR), the Student Regent is undeniably, an important position as the office stands to represent our interests. As the policies of the Board of Regents directly affect our welfare as students, the necessity of student representation in this body must be placed in the highest premium.

Thus, recognizing the fundamental importance of the Office of the Student Regent as a force for forwarding what is right and just to further uphold student empowerment, the necessity of a democratic selection process to ensure the transparency and accountability of our highest representative should also be put into place.

It is with this premise that UP ALYANSA, guided by its pillars of academic excellence, student empowerment and progressive multiperspective activism, steadfastly forwards reforms in the selection of the Student Regent to ensure that participatory mechanisms and real democracy prevail.

UP ALYANSA is for the Minimum Academic Requirement as a criterion for all Student Regent nominees. A student leader is, first and foremost, a ‘student’ of the University, and fulfilling such a responsibility must also be aimed towards ensuring that the taxes paid by our people in investing with our education are not put to waste. The recent vacancies in the Office of the Student Regent due to academic delinquency show the necessity of such reform. It is a disservice to the students if we allow the loss of representation in the BOR to happen once again as it continuously makes decisions and policies that affect the entire student population of the UP System.

UP ALYANSA is for a ‘One College, One Vote’ Allocation Provision. The unequal and unjust voting allocation in the Student Regent selection (2 votes each for Diliman, Manila, Los Baños, Baguio, Visayas, and Mindanao; and 1 vote each for Pampanga, Cebu, Iloilo City, Tacloban, and Baler) has given rise to the disenfranchisement and disempowerment of a broad segment of UP students. For instance, the 5,000 students of the UPD College of Engineering have to scramble for an insignificant 0.1 vote with the 19 other colleges in Diliman (following the 2-vote allocation for UP Diliman), while the 2,400 students of UP Baguio receive the full two votes.

UP ALYANSA is for the deletion of Katipunan ng mga Sangguniang Mag-aaral sa UP (KASAMA sa UP) in the CRSRS. While we recognize the contribution of this alliance in the establishment of the Office of the Student Regent, such historical account has no place in a set of rules outlining the Student Regent selection process. In addition, KASAMA sa UP is not representative of the entire UP student population as many university and college student councils are not part of the alliance. To make the Student Regent selection process truly democratic, it must recognize the multiperspectivism in the student councils that choose the Student Regent.

As the GASC commences in UP Visayas, Iloilo, UP ALYANSA and its member-organizations throw its full support to the progressive university and college student councils that will carry our reforms during the deliberations. UP ALYANSA also urges our fellow Iskolars para sa Bayan to join us in securing representation through the Office of the Student Regent, which is supposed to be our highest bastion of democratic representation and participation. Make your voices heard through all channels possible in delivering our collective and resounding call for a progressive selection process for our Student Regent.

Iskolar para sa Bayan, kasama ka sa malinis at marangal na laban para sa pagpapatibay ng demokrasya sa Opisina ng Rehente ng mga Mag-aaral.

MINDAnao NOW!

2011-12-22T10:30:00.001+08:00

Sa panahon ng pagdadamayan... Lahat Tayo, Iskolar Para Sa Bayan!

Visit http://www.sendongrelief.org/ to learn more about how you can help.

Para sa LGBT, Para sa Bayan

2011-12-03T14:21:00.002+08:00

Iskolar para sa Bayan, kasama ka sa pagsulong ng pantay na karapatan para sa lahat.

PASS THE ANTI-DISCRIMINATION BILL NOW!

NO BLOOD, NO SCORE

2011-11-17T23:47:00.000+08:00

"A continuing brawl that tallies score on the basis of bloodshed", aptly describes the violent nature propagated by supposedly service-and-leadership-oriented brotherhoods these past months.

09.16.11
Alpha Sigma and Alpha Phi Beta started the series of fraternity rumbles as they engage in a fight at the APB tambayan. 2 APB members were hurt.

10.17.11
Ivan Valcos of Alpha Sigma was hit in the AS Men’s CR.

10.23.11
Kehrl Reyes of APB, School of Economics Student Council Chairperson, was hit inside his house.

11.11.11
Lloyd Cunanan of Alpha Sigma was hit outside the backstage of R O C K A S J U A N after his band played for the event.

11.13.11
Kehrl Reyes’s car windows were broken.

11.15.11
Something exploded in front of Kehrl Reyes' house at around 2AM.

11.16.11
USC Councilor Apa Pangalangan's car of Alpha Sigma was hit with bats. A car chase between the two fraternities happened in the University Avenue where an APB-member-owned Starex van ended up in the center island.

11.17.11
Will the tally of bloodshed continue?

ALYANSA condemns these barbaric acts that are unforgivable for civilized human beings. It is with grave frustration that an institution of learning is continuously plagued by such acts of violence that remains to be justly neglected even after its long history of bloodshed in the university.

We have remained true to our call against fraternity-related violence regardless of who is involved, active in our attempts to engage the administration to take just and necessary measures to punish those who violate such heinous crimes accordingly, and respectful of the rights and efforts of our fraternity men to organize and co-exist in peace with each other, but as seen in this case alone, the issue of fraternity-related violence remains amidst efforts to curtail it.

This year alone, different brawls between Sigma Rho and Upsilon and Alpha Sigma and Upsilon caused multiple persons, both fraternity men and non-fraternity men, to be victims of such acts causing widespread fear to the innocent and unaffiliated UP students. No amount of administration intervention in the forms of peace treaties and accords among and between these fraternities worked. Calls remained unheeded. Rules have become mere words given the lack of proper implementation. And some fraternities, no matter how much they claim to be for peace, have proven otherwise, in their acts.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

We reiterate our strongest calls to UP President Alfredo Pascual (a fraternity man himself), Chancellor Saloma and the UP administration to take concrete actions against these violent acts happening in the university. Review and properly implement the rules governing fraternities in the university. Make those members of fraternities who are directly involved and identified in cases of fraternity-related violence legally accountable in the Student Disciplinary Tribunal. Peace accords are not enough.

We also enjoin all Student Councils to be part of the reconvening of the Student-Led Anti-Fraternity-Related Violence Watch (SAWA) this coming Friday (November 18), 4:00PM, at Law 322. Concrete measures need to be taken and taken together and we expect nothing less from our student leaders mandated and elected to protect the rights and welfare of their constituents. It’s time to take a definite stand. Because at the end of the day, the students' lives, safety and morale are of paramount and transcendental importance.

Security within the university is not a mere issue but a right of every student.

SAWANG SAWA NA KAMI SA FRATERNITY-RELATED VIOLENCE.

Iskolar para sa Bayan, tutulan ang karahasan.
Hindi ito sukatan ng kadakilaan, katapangan at kapatiran.
Kasama ka sa patuloy na paghangad at pagkamit sa katarungan.

SAWANG SAWA NA KAMI!

2011-11-15T22:04:00.000+08:00

Last Friday, November 11, just outside the backstage of R O C K A S J U A N, a concert that celebrates Filipino pride and volunteerism held at the Sunken Garden, two masked men, who were identified as Alpha Phi Beta members, in a Honda Civic with the plate ZGS 242, hit Lloyd Cunanan of Alpha Sigma twice in his head, one at the back and one at the side, inflicting fear to the event organizers.

This series of rumbles by Alpha Sigma and Alpha Phi Beta fraternities has already had 3 earlier casualties, Kehrl Reyes (APB), Ivan Valcos (Alpha Sigma) and an unidentified member of APB. Just today (November 14), Kehrl Reyes' car windows were broken by unknown people.

ALYANSA condemns this barbaric act that is unforgivable for civilized human beings. It is with grave frustration that an institution of learning is continuously plagued by such acts of violence that remains to be justly neglected even after its long history of bloodshed in the university.

We have remained true to our call against fraternity-related violence, active in our attempts to engage the administration to take just and necessary measures to punish those who violate such heinous crimes accordingly, and respectful of the rights and efforts of our fraternity men to organize and co-exist in peace with each other but as seen in this case alone, the issue of fraternity-related violence remains amidst efforts to curtail it.

This year alone, different brawls between Sigma Rho and Upsilon and Alpha Sigma and Upsilon caused multiple persons, both fraternity men and non-fraternity men, to be victims of such acts causing widespread fear to the innocent and unaffiliated UP students. No amount of administration intervention in the forms of peace treaties and accords among and between these fraternities worked. Calls remained unheeded. Rules have become mere words given the lack of proper implementation. And some fraternities, no matter how much they claim to be for peace, have proven otherwise, in their acts.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

We reiterate our strongest calls to UP President Alfredo Pascual (a fraternity man himself), Chancellor Saloma and the UP administration to take concrete actions against these violent acts happening in the university. Review and properly implement the rules governing fraternities in the university. Make those members of fraternities who are directly involved and identified in cases of fraternity-related violence legally accountable in the Student Disciplinary Tribunal. Peace accords are not enough.

We also enjoin all Student Councils to be part of the reconvening of the Student-Led Anti-Fraternity-Related Violence Watch (SAWA) this coming Friday, November 18, 4PM. Concrete measures need to be taken and taken together and we expect nothing less from our student leaders mandated and elected to protect the rights and welfare of their constituents. It’s time to take a definite stand.

Security within the university is not a mere issue but a right of every student.

SAWANG SAWA NA KAMI SA FRATERNITY-RELATED VIOLENCE.

Iskolar para sa Bayan, tutulan ang karahasan.

Hindi ito sukatan ng kadakilaan, katapangan at kapatiran.

Kasama ka sa patuloy na paghangad at pagkamit sa katarungan.

Bawat Iskolar para sa Bayan, #JUANTED!

2011-11-12T23:55:00.002+08:00

In behalf of the whole JUANTED 2011 Team (UP CIEM, UP ALCHEMES, UP CURSOR, UP GP's, UP ARISE, and UP ALYANSA), a BIG THANK YOU to all the volunteers and attendees who made JUANTED THE BIGGEST ADVOCACY EVENT in UP Diliman this year!

In the spirit of transparency, we will give you a progress report of our target beneficiaries (USC UP Diliman Basic Student Services Committee, and Culiat and Tandang Sora Elementary Schools) in the coming weeks.

Volunteerism + Pinoy Pride = Tatak Iskolar Para Sa Bayan!

(Photo credit: Bench/ Twitter account)

[UPDATED] Second Semester 2011-2012 Enlistment and Registration Schedule

2011-10-31T13:34:00.000+08:00

‎[UPDATED] Important dates to remember for the Second Semester 2011-2012 Enlistment and Registration (with the dates for the last day of Form 5A validation, payment and change mat).

Kindly help us circulate this reminder online. Enjoy the rest of the sembreak, mga Iskolar para sa Bayan!

Second Semester 2011-2012 Enlistment and Registration Schedule

2011-10-27T17:28:00.002+08:00

Important dates to remember for the Second Semester 2011-2012 Enlistment and Registration.

Kindly help us circulate this reminder online. Thank you and good luck, mga Iskolar para sa Bayan!

TAMA NA, SAWA NA TAYO SA FRAT-RELATED VIOLENCE!

2011-10-27T17:19:00.000+08:00

We condemn, in the strongest terms, the latest incident of fraternity-related violence last Sunday night that left UP School of Economics Student Council Chairperson and UP ALYANSA/UP ETC member Kehrl Reyes with head and body injuries.

Violence is NOT an option. TAMA NA, SAWA NA TAYO SA FRAT-RELATED VIOLENCE!

Anti-Discrimination Bill Update

2011-10-18T23:59:00.001+08:00

11 October 2011 – USC Councilor and Gender Committee Head Heart Diño during the committee hearing on House Bill 515, or the Anti-Discrimination Bill, at the Batasan Pambansa.

UP ALYANSA also forwarded a letter in support of the passage of the Anti-Discrimination Bill to the House Committee on Women and Gender Equality (c/o Chairperson Angelica Amante-Matba).

Iskolar para sa Bayan, kasama ka sa pagsusulong ng pantay na karapatan para sa lahat.
PASS THE ANTI-DISCRIMINATION BILL NOW!

Tweet Our Legislators to #CoAuthorTheSTRAWBill!

2011-10-10T00:56:00.004+08:00

Help us in asking our legislators #CoAuthorTheSTRAWBill by Akbayan Reps. Walden Bello (@WaldenBello) and Kaka J. Bag-ao (@repkaka)!

Full text of House Bill No. 2190. (STRAW Bill):
http://congress.gov.ph/download/basic_15/HB02190.pdf

Ask your legislators to #CoAuthorTheSTRAWBill! Here's a template for the co-authorship form which you can tweet/send to them: http://bit.ly/ozsXKZ.

Set your Twitter account to 'public' first, then TWEET YOUR REPRESENTATIVE! Ask them to #CoAuthorTheSTRAWBill!:

@aliahdimaporo – Rep. Aliah Dimaporo (2nd District, Lanao del Norte)
@arm7878 – Rep. Amang Magsaysay (AVE) - REPLIED. Available for a meeting next week.
@catamconancy - Rep. Nancy Catamco (2nd District, North Cotabato)
@chedz_alvarez - Rep. Mercedes Alvarez (6th District, Negros Occidental)
@congjoe - Rep. Joel Duavit (1st District, Rizal)
@CutieDelMar - Rep. Rachel Del Mar (1st District, Cebu City)
@EmAglipay - Rep. Emmeline Aglipay (DIWA)
@erintanada - Rep. Erin Tañada (4th District, Quezon) - SIGNED AS CO-AUTHOR!
@GinadeVenecia - Rep. Gina de Venecia (4th District, Pangasinan)
@irvinalacla - Rep. Irvin Alcala (2nd District, Quezon)
@JayeLacsonNoel - Rep. Jaye Lacson-Noel (Lone District, Malabon City)
@julesled - Rep. Jules Ledesma (1st District, Negros Occidental) - REPLIED. Will send co-authorship form.
@jvejercito - Rep. JV Ejercito (Lone District, San Juan City) - REPLIED. Said he filed similar bill, but we'll clarify.
@kimicojuangco - Rep. Kimi Cojuangco (5th District, Pangasinan) - REPLIED. Will send co-authorship form.
@KuyaEgaySanLuis - Rep. Egay San Luis (4th District, Laguna)
@lanimrevilla - Rep. Lani Mercado-Revilla (2nd District, Cavite)
@luigiquisumbing - Rep. Luigi Quisumbing (6th District, Cebu) - REPLIED. He'll go over the bill first.
@miroquimbo - Rep. Miro Quimbo (2nd District, Marikina City)
@pablojohncebu - Rep. Pablo John Garcia (3rd District, Cebu)
@pongbiazon - Rep. Rodolfo Biazon (Lone District, Muntinlupa City)
@roilogolez - Rep. Roilo Golez (2nd District, Parañaque City)
@RepMelSarmiento - Rep. Mel Sarmiento (1st District, Western Samar)
@sonnyangara - Rep. Sonny Angara (Lone District, Aurora) - REPLIED. He'll go over the bill first.
@Teddy_Baguilat - Rep. Teddy Baguilat (Lone District, Ifugao)
@TobyTiangco - Rep. Tobias Tiangco (Lone District, Navotas City)

Iskolar para sa Bayan, kasama ka sa pagpasa sa Students’ Rights and Welfare Bill.

Message of PALEA President Gerry Rivera to the Iskolars para sa Bayan

2011-10-10T00:39:00.003+08:00

3-4 October 2011 – UP ALYANSA visited the members of the Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA) in their camp-out site near the NAIA Terminal 2 in Parañaque City, and expressed its solidarity with the protesting PAL employees in their fight for security of tenure.

UP ALYANSA Chairperson Tin Borja and CSSP Student Council Chairperson JC Tejano gave their messages of solidarity to PALEA, reaffirming the formation’s commitment in upholding workers’ rights that also affect the youth and students.

“Narito po kami upang magpasalamat sa inyo dahil higit sa pagtatanggol ninyo sa inyong mga karapatan bilang mga manggagawa, ipinaglalaban niyo rin na magkaroon kaming mga kabataan ng regular na trabaho at magandang buhay sa hinaharap,” Tejano said in his message.

In response to our call for financial and material support to the camp-out, residents of Kalayaan Residence Hall donated noodles, canned goods and blankets to PALEA members.

In return, PALEA President Gerry Rivera thanked UP ALYANSA and the freshman dormers, and asked our fellow Iskolars para sa Bayan to continue supporting PALEA in defending their right to tenure and safeguarding the rights and welfare of our nation’s workers.

“Sa mga susunod na araw ay iniimbitahan namin kayo na pumunta rito. We need your support – be it moral, physical or material. Kailangan namin ang mga ito dahil ang laban nating ito ay maaaring pangmatagalan,” Rivera appealed to our fellow Iskos and Iskas.

“Sa pagbibigay ninyo ng moral support sa amin, mas lalo kaming lumalakas at kayo ay nagiging inspirasyon namin. Manalig kayo na sa inyong tulong ay makakamtan natin ang tunay na kalayaan para sa ating mga mangggagawa – kalayaan mula sa pang-aabuso, kalayaan mula sa eksploytasyon – at ang pagbibigay ng dignidad sa manggagawang Pilipino,” Rivera concluded.

Other youth groups that were with UP ALYANSA during the two visits are the National Youth Commission, the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines (SCAP), the Coalition for Students’ Rights and Welfare (STRAW Coalition), Akbayan! Youth, and ALYANSA member-organizations Buklod CSSP and Akbayan! Youth - UP Diliman.

Iskolar para sa Bayan, kasama ka sa laban kontra kontraktuwalisasyon.
END UNJUST CONTRACTUALIZATION OF LABOR, PASS THE SECURITY OF TENURE BILL!

UP ALYANSA's clarificatory statement regarding a news article by Manila Standard Today

2011-09-25T01:12:00.003+08:00

In light of the news article by Manila Standard Today entitled "UP students, faculty launch 3-day strike" where UP ALYANSA was reported to have led the budget mobilization which occurred last Wednesday (to quote: "The UP-Alyansa ng mga Mag-aaral Para sa Panlipunang Katwiran at Kaunlaran led the walk along the academic Oval area and marched on the 2.2-kilometer oval to demonstrate their unity against the cut in the school’s budget and the budgets of other state universities and colleges," italics added), we forward the following clarifications:

1. In our Press Release dated September 21, 2011, it was clearly stated that UP ALYANSA NEVER CLAIMED to have led the budget mobilization. We quote: “UP Alyansa ng mga Mag-aaral para sa Panlipunang Katwiran at Kaunlaran (ALYANSA), one of the participants in the university-wide strike, appeals to the government to increase the UP budget and invest more in education” (italics added). UP ALYANSA HOLDS NO CONTROL over the editing and writing of news articles in major print and TV media.

2. After being made aware of the said article, UP ALYANSA immediately contacted the writer of the said article requesting for an erratum for immediate publishing. We have attached a link of our Press Release distributed to all print and TV media, and another article published by Sun.Star Manila correctly reflecting what we forwarded.

3. UP ALYANSA believes that investing in our people via a higher education budget is a collective struggle that transcends our political colors or parochial concerns. It is a collective struggle that no single person, no single group, or no organization can merely lay claim to. It is a collective struggle that UP ALYANSA is in, together with the education sector, as we stake the claim for our future.

Iskolar para sa Bayan, kasama ka sa pagkamit ng quality, relevant, at accessible education.
INCREASE THE UP BUDGET, INVEST IN EDUCATION.

LINK TO UP ALYANSA'S PRESS RELEASE, “Government should adopt '6%-of-GNP to education' standard in PH - UP protesters”: http://www.facebook.com/notes/up-alyansa/press-release-21-september-2011-government-should-adopt-6-of-gnp-to-education-st/10150394599370775

LINK TO THE MANILA STANDARD TODAY NEWS ARTICLE, "UP students, faculty launch 3-day strike": http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideNews.htm?f=2011%2Fseptember%2F22%2Fnews5.isx&d=2011%2Fseptember%2F22

LINK TO THE SUN.STAR NEWS ARTICLE, “Government urged to allot 6% of GNP to education” - ALSO BASED FROM UP ALYANSA’S PRESS RELEASE: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/breaking-news/2011/09/21/government-urged-allot-6-gnp-education-180624

UP ALYANSA featured in the Philippine Daiily Inquirer!

2011-09-20T23:58:00.002+08:00

UP ALYANSA's statement on the proposed 2012 UP and education budget gets published in today's edition of the Philippine Daily Inquirer!

INCREASE THE UP BUDGET, INVEST IN EDUCATION.
Iskolar para sa Bayan, kasama ka sa pagkamit ng quality, relevant, at accessible education.

An Appeal to Congressmen (Budget Dialogue at the House of Representatives, 07 September 2011)

2011-09-10T00:44:00.001+08:00

by Juan Carlo Tejano
Chairperson, UP College of Social Sciences and Philosophy Student Council (CSSPSC)
Member, UP Alyansa ng mga Mag-aaral para sa Panlipunang Katwiran at Kaunlaran (ALYANSA)
Spokesperson, Student Council Alliance of the Philippines (SCAP)

Delivered on September 7, 2011
Speaker Prospero Nograles Hall, House of Representatives

* * *
Kailangan pong taasan ang budget ng SUCs at ng edukasyon sa bansa – klaro po ito para sa lahat sa atin dito. Pero ang tanong ko ay: ano ang benchmark, at ano po ba ang goal na gusto nating ma-attain para sa budget ng ating mga unibersidad?

Noong 1996, nagkaroon ng Delors benchmark, isang international standard ng education budget for different countries. At nakasaad rito na para maging internationally-competitive ang isang bansa ay kailangang maglaan ng 6% ng Gross National Product ang isang gobyerno para sa edukasyon.

Sa kasalukuyan, 2.5% lang ang allocated by the government sa ating edukasyon. Sa katunayan, talo pa tayo ng iba’t-ibang mga bansa, na mas mababa pa nga ang ranking ng percent ng GNP natin. Sa totoo lang, di ko po alam ang bansang Guyana, na mas mataas pa ang percentage na binibigay nila para sa kanilang edukasyon.

Nakakalungkot itong isipin, dahil ito ang trend na makikita natin for our history after the Marcos era. Mula noong na-set ang benchmark noong 1996, ang pinakamataas nang percentage na allocated for education ay 3.8%. Napakababa po nito mula sa 6% international standard.

Ito ang panawagan ng SCAP o Student Council Alliance of the Philippines, along with the different student councils in UP, and UP ALYANSA and Buklod CSSP – Na kailangang taasan ang percentage na binibigay ng gobyerno for education. Kailangan itong taasan para humabol sa international standard na 6%.

Bukod pa rito, at nasabi na rin ito kanina ng mga kasama naming estudyante, parating sinasabi na maramot ang SUCs kapag nananawagan ito ng mas mataas na budget.

Ayaw kong paniwalaan ito, dahil kailangang lahat ng antas ng edukasyon ay binibigyang-halaga. Nakikita natin ang commitment ng gobyerno, at pinapasalamatan natin ang gobyerno para sa pinapakita nitong commitment sa elementary at secondary education. Pero kailangan ding bigyan ng tamang prayoridad ang tertiary education sa ating bansa.

Sa kasalukuyan, meron lang 110 SUCs all over the country. Compare this to 1,573 Private Higher Educational Institutions. Clearly, itong kakaunting amount ng SUCs sa ating bansa ay nangangailangan ng pondo at suporta.

At ang SUCs na ito, ito lang ang pag-asa para sa napakaraming Pilipinong mag-aaral na nagtapos ng high school para tumuloy sa kanilang college education. Kapag hindi natin popondohan ang SUCs ay parang sinabi na natin sa kabataang Pilipino na huwag niyo nang ipagpatuloy ang inyong pag-aaral. Dahil klaro para sa ating lahat na napakaraming mahirap sa ating bansa at kailangan nila ng SUCs para makapag-aral.

Bukod pa rito, bilang mula na rin sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas at sigurado naman ako na marami sa ating mga mambabatas dito ngayon ay nanggaling din sa aking unibersidad, kapag pumunta kayo ng UP ay hindi niyo na kailangan ng data. Basta pumunta lang kayo ng UP, makikita ninyo kung gaano ka-masalimuot ang sitwasyon ng unibersidad.

Makikita ninyo ang Palma Hall, isang historical site ng Martial Law noong 1970s-1980s, historical po talaga siya – wala pong nagbago. Sa katunayan, parang historical artifacts na ang mga kagamitan namin sa Palma Hall.

Nakita rin natin na kakasunog lang ng Chemistry Pavilion sa Palma Hall noong nakaraang taon, at isa itong senyales na talagang kailangan ng mas mataas na budget para sa unibersidad.

Ayaw rin natin na umaasa ang unibersidad sa mga estudyante para pondohan ang mismong “state” university. Kaya nga nagkaroon ng UP, dahil gusto nating pag-aralin ang mga mahihirap. Bakit natin aasahan ang mga estudyante na sila mismo ang magpopondo sa ating unibersidad?

Finally, mula sa College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, sinabi ng Presidente na ang bibigyan ng halaga ngayong taon ayon sa Proposed Budget highlights ay business process outsourcing, tourism, agriculture and fisheries, at infrastructure development.

Nakakalungkot ito dahil patuloy na walang binibigay na halaga para sa agham panlipunan at pilosopiya sa ating bansa. Klaro na kailangan natin ng economics, engineering at science para sa pag-unlad ng ating bansa, pero kailangan din natin ng agham panlipunan at pilosopiya para maisaayos ang pag-unlad natin bilang bayan.

Sa katunayan, kapag magfo-focus lang tayo sa economic development, hindi uunlad nang matino ang ating bayan. From Philosophy itself, kunwari, Philosophy ang nagbigay ng biomedical ethics sa bansa – research ethics on biomedicine. Paano natin maisasaayos ang health dito sa bansa kung wala naman tayong pagbibigay-halaga sa etika?

Tatapusin ko ang pagsasalita ko sa isang panawagan, lalo na sa mga taga-UP na mambabatas ngayon – na sana po talaga ay ipaglaban natin ang budget para sa UP. Sana ay ipaglaban natin ang budget para sa state universities and colleges, at ang budget para sa edukasyon.

Maraming salamat po.

BUDGET WATCH UPDATE: ALYANSA urges Congress to increase UP budget, invest in education

2011-09-10T00:37:00.002+08:00

UP ALYANSA joins the UP administration and other state universities and colleges (SUCs) in a public dialogue at the House of Representatives last September 7, 2011, the same day the proposed budget of CHED and SUCs for 2012 was deliberated by the House plenary.

Organized by the Office of San Juan City Representative JV Ejercito, the dialogue aims to engage members of the House of Representatives regarding the government’s lack of support for tertiary education, particularly the decrease in the budget of many SUCs for 2012.

The UP Diliman delegation is composed of UP President Alfredo Pascual, UP Diliman Chancellor Caesar Saloma, UP Student Regent Krissy Conti, USC Councilor Heart Diño, SLIS Representative Orly Putong, the CSSP Student Council (represented by Chairperson JC Tejano), and UP ALYANSA (represented by Chairperson Tin Borja). ALYANSA Vice Chairperson for Education, Research and Training Aides Baccay, UP Organization of Human Rights Advocates (OHRA) President Diega Villanueva, and former USC Councilor Jeff Crisostomo also attended the said dialogue.

Also present in the public dialogue were House Committee on Higher and Technical Education Chairman and UP Board of Regents member Juan Edgardo Angara, Commission on Higher Education Chairperson Patricia Licuanan, and Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) President Ricardo Rotoras.

In his appeal, CSSPSC Chairperson Tejano urged the members of Congress to increase the budget of the national university and invest in education by fulfilling the international standard of at least 6% of the country’s Gross National Product (GNP) to the education sector.

“[Ang SUCs] lang ang pag-asa ng napakaraming Pilipinong mag-aaral na nagtapos ng high school para tumuloy sa kanilang college education. Kapag hindi natin popondohan ang SUCs, parang sinabi na natin sa kabataang Pilipino na huwag niyo nang ipagpatuloy ang inyong pag-aaral,” Tejano said.

The congressmen, on their part, expressed their commitment to push not only for the restoration but also for the increase in the budget of SUCs.

In his Facebook status post, Cong. Ejercito said, “Just finished the dialogue between congressmen and the heads of the state universities and colleges. The reps were in unison in pushing not only for the restoration of the budget of the SUCs, but to increase their budget.”

Kasama ang mga kinatawan sa Kongreso, patuloy ang panawagan ng mga Iskolar para sa Bayan… INCREASE THE UP BUDGET, INVEST IN EDUCATION.

BUDGET WATCH UPDATE: Members of Congress tweet @upalyansa

2011-09-10T00:08:00.009+08:00

UP ALYANSA has been receiving tweets from members of Congress (Senate and House of Representatives) since the Iskolars para sa Bayan intensified its "Increase the UP Budget, Invest in Education" campaign. The following are their tweets on our Twitter account, @upalyansa.

On UP ALYANSA's Position Paper on the Proposed 2012 UP and Education Budgets (LINK: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150345476665775)

Sen. Pia Cayetano (@piacayetano):

Agree, u have my support always. RT @upalyansa: @piacayetanoINCREASE the UP Budget. INVEST in Education.http://upalyansa.blogspot.com/2011/08/up-alyansas-position-paper-on-proposed.html

Sen. Koko Pimentel (@TeamSenKoko):

Senator @KokoPimentel and #TeamKoko is on your side@upalyansa. Education is the best equalizer and key out of poverty.

San Juan City Rep. JV Ejercito (@jvejercito):

@upalyansa This is where i disagree with the Aquino Administration, they choose 2 give priority 2 the CCT dole-outs than invest in education
@upalyansa beem fighting for the increase in budget of SUC's since last year, will fight for it again in this year's budget hearings!

Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay (@mitosmagsaysay):

@upalyansa I agree with you 100%

Alliance of Volunteer Educators Partylist Rep. Amang Rodriguez (@arm7878):

@upalyansa Totally in support of ur advocacy. But I'm only 1 voice. Help me by touching base w/ ur other representatives & senators.

On UP ALYANSA's participation in the public dialogue with Congressmen, held last September 7, 2011 at the House of Representatives

San Juan City Rep. JV Ejercito (@jvejercito):

@upalyansa @jeffcrisostomo @jctejano Salamat din sa pagdalo, malaking bagay ito upang maintindihan ng aking mga kasama and estado ng SUCS.
@upalyansa It is my belief that the human resource is our most precious resource, therefore education should be given highest priority.

Lahat Tayo, Iskolar Para Sa Agrarian Reform!

2011-08-31T23:07:00.001+08:00

‎
UP ALYANSA, Akbayan Youth - UP Diliman, and UP Organization of Human Rights Advocates (OHRA) present...

ISKOLAR PARA SA AGRARIAN REFORM: The issue of CARPER and Hacienda Luisita
Part One of "Para Sa Bayan" Lecture-Forum Series

with Former Rep. Risa Hontiveros (Akbayan Party), Dan Carranza (KATARUNGAN), and representatives from Hacienda Luisita farmers

September 1, 2011 (Thursday) | 1:00-5:00PM | Malcolm Theater, College of Law

MAKIALAM at MAKIBAHAGI. Lahat Tayo, Iskolar Para Sa Bayan!

As PNoy defaults on FOI, Congress must now take the lead

2011-08-18T23:00:00.001+08:00

PRESS STATEMENT FROM THE RIGHT TO KNOW, RIGHT NOW! COALITION

Kung talagang gusto, hahanap ng paraan.
Kung talagang ayaw, hahanap ng dahilan.

This is exactly where President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III stands on the proposed Freedom of Information bill, which seeks only to enforce a constitutionally guaranteed right of the people to know and secure documents in the custody of government agencies.

The President says he supports the bill in principle, but that he has “specific questions and concerns” that he wants to be settled, before he endorses it as his priority legislation. His concerns, the President says, include his fears that FOI could unlock documents that might expose people to kidnappers, cause government losses in right-of-way cases because of property price speculations, and many other unwanted results.

Yet over the last 14 months in office, he has failed to answer and settle these concerns, and for as long a period, the FOI bill has languished in limbo.

A Malacañang study group on the FOI had told us about other, bigger concerns of the President. Through Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. Erin Tañada, chief author of the FOI bill in the House of Representatives, we informally and indirectly engaged the study group in constructive dialogue over the last six months.

Two critical concerns on exceptions were addressed over time in three successive drafts of the FOI bill that the Palace study group crafted – “national security” and the President’s deliberative process. These were in addition to existing exceptions in the FOI bill based on national defense and foreign affairs; military or law enforcement operation; privacy; trade, industrial or commercial secrets; drafts of adjudicatory decisions; privileged information in legal proceedings; executive session of Congress; and exceptions recognized in other statutes or the Constitution.

The legislative process practically ground to a halt, precisely because the President and his study group said they were drafting their own FOI bill. We had hoped that by the opening of the second regular session of Congress, the Palace draft would be done, and the President would have certified it as a priority measure.

We had hoped as much because we still remember: As the presumptive winner of the May 2010 elections, the President had promised to assign first priority to the FOI’s passage into law, and in June 2010, as president, he launched his government on the principles of transparency, accountability, and good governance.

This is the first time we are hearing that the President has new concerns about what he says could be the undesirable results of an FOI law.

The President assures us that he supports the FOI bill “in principle” but that because his concerns linger, he could not act on his own study group’s version of the FOI bill.

What seems like a state of principled indecision in Malacañang makes us wonder: Is the President part of the solution, or part of the problem, in assuring the passage of the FOI bill? Or perhaps neither, because he has chosen to pass up a chance to lead on a strategic policy issue that the Constitution has so clearly mandated him and all public officials to uphold and enforce – the people’s right to know.

The fate of the FOI bill was a leadership call on the President. We had not wished he would default. Yet because he has, we now refocus our efforts on the House of Representatives and the Senate, which should, without need for cue or advice from Malacañang, act now and quickly on the FOI bill.

We do so with eyes wide open that as it was in the 14th Congress under then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the FOI bill could face rough, tough sailing in the 15th Congress. While Mrs. Arroyo and her allies vigorously opposed and killed the bill before it could be ratified, Mr. Aquino and his allies now seem to want to let the bill waste away, and fade in time.

THE RIGHT TO KNOW, RIGHT NOW! COALITION/
BANTAY FOI, SULONG FOI! CAMPAIGN
17 AUGUST 2011

(UP ALYANSA is a member of the Right To Know, Right Now! Coalition, and the Bantay FOI! Sulong FOI! Campaign.)

ACLE 2011

2011-08-17T22:52:00.000+08:00

Mga Iskolar para sa Bayan, kasama ka sa mga hain na ACLE ng mga kasaping-organisasyon ng UP ALYANSA:

UP Alliance for Responsive Involvement and Student Empowerment (ARISE)
UP Economics Towards Consciousness (UP ETC)
UP Lipunang Pangkasaysayan (UP LIKAS)
UP Bukluran sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino (UP BUKLOD ISIP)
UP Kalipunan para sa Agham Panlipunan at Pilosopiyang Pilipino (UP KAPPP)

AUGUST 18, 2011 (THURSDAY) | 1:00-5:00PM
Kasama ka sa ALYANSA. LAHAT TAYO, ISKOLAR PARA SA BAYAN!

UP ALYANSA’s Position Paper on the Proposed 2012 UP and Education Budget

2011-08-09T15:49:00.009+08:00

UP Alyansa ng mga Mag-aaral para sa Panlipunang Katwiran at Kaunlaran (UP ALYANSA) is a duly-recognized leadership and service formation in the University of the Philippines – Diliman. Composed of students and student organizations in the University, we have been vigorously pursuing progressive social change in accordance to our four pillars, namely progressive multiperspective activism, academic excellence, student empowerment, and social justice and social progress.

Education, for UP ALYANSA, is a human right and a tool in the attainment of academic excellence, social justice and social progress. Through the acquisition of knowledge and skills from the four walls of our classrooms, our citizens achieve not only their personal development – be it intellectual, physical, emotional and social – but also civic and political consciousness. Since it gives empowerment especially to the marginalized, oppressed and powerless, education thus becomes an essential service that the State must provide.

The 2012 National Expenditure Program submitted by the Department of Budget and Management to the House of Representatives on 26 July 2011 proposes an increase in the budget of the whole education sector, from P218.9-billion for 2011 to P241.1-billion for 2012. Among the items in the education pie, the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) receive a hike in their earmark compared to last year, while the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) suffer a reduction in its budget.

While the formation recognizes the marked increase in the allocation for elementary and secondary education, UP ALYANSA believes that prioritization of education should never discriminate tertiary education. This belief is grounded on our Constitution, which mandates the State to “protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education AT ALL LEVELS” (1987 Constitution: Art. XIV, Sec. 1; capitalization added).

In the case of the University of the Philippines, the budget that is allotted to the country’s national university reflects the government’s policy towards tertiary education. From the P17.07-billionproposal of the University administration, the government via the DBM only approved P5.54-billion,or a measly 34%, for 2012. Compared to this year’s allocation, UP’s budget decreases by P208.2-million, or 3.6%, for 2012. This is not the first time that the University is given an insufficient budget. For the past five years, UP received a high of P7.1-billlion (in celebration of its centennial anniversary), to a low of P4.8-billion.

We, UP students, have a litany of reasons to complain about this decline in our budget: our classrooms are in an old and decrepit condition; our laboratories are deteriorating and ill-supplied; our libraries still lack subscriptions in online journals and scholarly publications; our researches and field schools are underfunded; our instructors and staff are atrociously underpaid; our limited student housing are already creaking and fire-/earthquake-prone; our vast campus is becoming difficult to maintain and secure; and the list goes on.

You, our duly-elected leaders, do not have any reason to shrug off our dilemmas. Section 22 (d) of the 2008 UP Charter explicitly stipulates that the revenues generated from the utilization of vast tracks of idle lands in the University “shall not be meant to replace, in part or in whole, the annual appropriations provided by the national government to the national university.”

As we face again an impending decrease in our budget allocation for 2012, UP ALYANSA reiterates its call for a higher budget for the Philippines’ national university. We implore the members of the House of Representatives to assist UP in fulfilling its most important functions, namely committing itself towards national development (2008 UP Charter: Sec. 7; the Charter even made mention that the Philippine Congress “may request the national university to conduct research or provide advice on any matter involving public policy”), and serving the Filipino nation and humanity (ibid.: Sec. 8).

To realize its aim to be the leading academic, graduate, and research university in this side of the world (2008 UP Charter: Sec. 3), we call upon our legislators to retain the P1.1-billion proposal of the UP administration for Capital Outlay (CA), in order to fund the following projects:
- UP Diliman Engineering Research and Development for Technology
- UP Diliman National Science Complex Buildings
- UP Manila Centennial Building and Sports and Wellness Center (Phase 1)
- UP Los Baños Analytical Laboratory
- UP Visayas - Cebu College Library Building Extension
- UP Open University Learning Centers in the regions
The government should not content itself with the recent rise of UP in international university rankings (e.g., Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings, Webometrics Ranking of World Universities). With stiff competition especially from institutions of higher learning from the Asia-Pacific region, UP still has a long way to go to catch up with the best in the region.

In searching for new sources of funding for UP and the education sector at-large, we suggest that the House of Representatives must carefully scrutinize and reduce discretionary spending, rechannel debt-servicing allocation to education, and legislate measures that will increase the tax effort of the government.

Finally, we re-echo the call of our national partner, the Youth Against Debt (YAD) Coalition, in legislating a bill that will automatically appropriate at least 6% of the Gross National Product (GNP) to the whole education sector. The proposed 2012 education budget, amid the increase, only amounts to 2.5% of our 2010 GNP – less than half and a far cry from our ideal budget. The 6%-of-GNP standard, first proposed in 1996 by the International Commission of Education in the Twenty First Century (headed by Jacques Delors), is considered as the UNESCO international benchmark for education and is already accepted by over a hundred countries. In following this international standard, the basic, higher and technical education sectors are now assured of the priority it deserves from the State without causing ill and irreparable effects to the quality and accessibility of education our people receives. In addition, this standard is in sync with a clear Constitutional provision that “assigns the highest budgetary priority to education” (1987 Constitution: Art. XIV, Sec. 5).

As UP, CHED, DepEd and other agencies prepare its respective budget presentations to the House Committee on Appropriations, UP ALYANSA will continue to engage our lawmakers (in both chambers of Congress) and the Aquino administration in the call of every Iskolar Para Sa Bayan for a higher budgetary allocation for UP and the whole education sector.

We, in UP ALYANSA, believe in the transformative benefits of education for our country. We maintain that unless the government increases the budget of its national university and invests more on the education sector, we will find it nearly impossible to attain quality, relevant and accessible education, lift ourselves from poverty, and uplift the lives of our countrymen.

INCREASE THE UP BUDGET, INVEST IN EDUCATION.

REFERENCES:

1987 Philippine Constitution
2008 University of the Philippines Charter
2010 National Account, National Statistics Office
2011 General Appropriations Act
2012 National Expenditure Program

Freedom from Debt Coalition and Youth Against Debt Coalition (2008). “The Neglected Generation”.http://fdc.ph/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=59&&Itemid=89 (Retrieved: July 31, 2011).

Office of the Hon. Ma. Kristina Conti (2011). “Updates from the Student Regent: On the budget campaign”. http://www.facebook.com/notes/krissy-conti/updates-from-the-student-regent-on-the-budget-campaign/10150247703715069 (Accessed: July 31, 2011).

BUDGET WATCH UPDATE: ALYANSA’s budget campaign reaches the House of Representatives

2011-08-06T22:54:00.002+08:00

August 3 (Wednesday): We gave out copies of our three-page position paper to 47 district and partylist representatives in the Lower House. Dialogues with some of these congressmen/women will commence very soon.

August 4 (Thursday): UP ALYANSA Vice Chairperson for Education and Research Aides Baccay and Buklod CSSP Circle of Individuals Rep. Migs Angeles witnessed the budget hearings for CHED and SUCs (including UP) at the Andaya Hall, House of Representatives.

That same day, we were also able to personally hand out UP ALYANSA's and Buklod CSSP's position papers to UP President Alfredo Pascual and UPD Chancellor Caesar Saloma. They both agreed to have a dialogue with us regarding the UP budget and other student issues.

Iskolar Para Sa Bayan, kasama ka sa BUDGET WATCH. MAKILAM at MAKIBAHAGI.

IN THE PHOTO: UP President Alfredo Pascual and CHED Chairperson Patricia Licuanan at the CHED and SUCs budget hearing, Andaya Hall, House of Representatives. (Photo credit: Aides Baccay)

Links to President Noynoy Aquino's 2011 State of the Nation Address (SONA)

2011-07-26T12:52:00.002+08:00

Original speech, in Filipino: http://www.gov.ph/2011/07/25/benigno-s-aquino-iii-second-state-of-the-nation-address-july-25-2011/

English translation: http://www.gov.ph/2011/07/25/benigno-s-aquino-iii-second-state-of-the-nation-address-july-25-2011-en/

Technical Report: http://www.gov.ph/2011/07/25/the-2011-state-of-the-nation-address-technical-report/

2011 Youth Statement on the State of the Nation

2011-07-22T19:56:00.004+08:00

(Given at Manila, July 22, 2011)

A year has passed since President Benigno Simeon Aquino III delivered his State of the Nation Address. His first year in office shed light on the tremendous corruption that was institutionalized in the government by the previous administration. We waited patiently as the President introduced reform measures to address corruption, poverty, health, and a host of other concerns that seemed to have been neglected and worsened by the previous administration. Government effort in addressing these concerns slowly but surely restored trust and hope in government.

It is no surprise that the youth today feel that we must speak up about our issues now that the mechanisms for addressing our concerns have been strengthened.

The State of the Nation for the Filipino Youth is one filled with both trepidation and hope. There is trepidation because the opposition to reform efforts is very strong. But we also know there is hope now that we can see crucial youth reform measures can be realized under this administration.

Security of Employment

Now is the time to raise the collective voice of the youth in fighting not only for jobs, but security of tenure in those jobs.

Contractualization is a major factor to the serious employment problem. The youth have nothing to gain from such an oppressive and failed job policy that has ensured that our workers have little protection from corporate greed. Current labor laws are inadequate in ensuring the rights of workers are protected by the pernicious effects of contractualization.

A study in 2000 by a leading international research NGO showed that the “combined share of casual, contractual and part-time workers in total enterprise-based employment” had increased from 14 to 15 percent in 1990-94 to 18.1 percent in 1995 and to 21.1 percent in 1997, which meant that for every five workers at least one was a non-regular worker.

Another local research has even claimed that between 1995 and 2005, contractual labor in the Philippines has “soared from 65 percent to as much as 78 percent of the country’s employed labor force.”

The youth is challenging the Aquino government to generate secure jobs for all, especially for the working youth, and for jobs wherein workers are justly remunerated and their rights are fully respected. We are also calling for the passage of the Security of Tenure bill, HB 4853, which has been lingering in Congress for more than a decade now. This legislation, if passed, will be the biggest response of the President Aquino government in addressing the working youth’s concerns

Education

In 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which recognized the universal right to education. We believe that education is a right that must remain accessible to all Filipinos regardless of race, religion, gender, and social class.

While the government has made attempts to solve this problem, it has yet to address the issue of educational accessibility. A K-12 system does not mean more poor youths will have access to education.

The solution is larger government investment in education. With the current administration spending only 2.44% of the GNP, less than the 6% international standard, it comes as no surprise that education in the country remains as dismal as ever.

Access, however, must go in tandem with quality. We believe that students learn more in academic environments that respect their rights. The Students Rights and Welfare (STRAW) bill will allow students to demand more from their teachers and administrators. It will also ensure that school administrations respect the autonomy of its students.

Healthcare and RH Bill

We believe that a comprehensive reproductive health policy is crucial to the welfare of the youth. Age-appropriate and gender sensitive sex education is integral to the intellectual and moral growth of young people.

It is imperative that RH information and services be made available and accessible to those who needed it most: young people, who are most prone to sexual illnesses and unwanted pregnancies.

We support the Reproductive Health Bill. It is a law that will allow the state to uphold women’s rights and the health of its citizens, regardless of which faith they subscribe to.

These three measures are the most urgent legislative actions that can address the needs of the Filipino youth today. We therefore urge President Aquino to fast track their passage.

We agree that the road to reform is a rough and rugged road. However, it is a road that we Filipino youth will wholeheartedly tread. The straight path, the “tuwid na daan” which our hero Jose Rizal walked was never easy. But we must remember that at the end of every road is the destination. For the likes of Rizal it was freedom from tyranny and ignorance. For the youth, it is the freedom from economic disempowerment, from deprivation of right to health, and the right to meaningful education.

There are five years left for our President to accomplish these and other reforms. They may seem insurmountable but with the youth backing a comprehensive reform agenda, we will succeed.

Signed:
MABUTING PILIPINO YOUTH MOVEMENT*

* UP ALYANSA is a convener of the Mabuting Pilipino Youth Movement

Void or Valid? The legal acrobatics of the Supreme Court decision in Hacienda Luisita

2011-07-08T12:57:00.006+08:00

by Rep. Kaka Bag-ao
AKBAYAN Party-list

Decision or Confusion?

In its decision dated July 5, 2011, the Supreme Court affirmed the resolution of the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC) revoking the Stock Distribution Plan (SDP) of the Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI). At first blush, it may seem that the decision is a victory for the farmers. However, a close reading of the lengthy decision will show that it leaves much to be desired.

To be fair, the decision did have some positive aspects. It made an assertion that the revocation of the SDP is not an intra-corporate dispute and that the SDOA is a special contract imbued with public interest and is primarily governed by the provisions of RA 6657.

The SC also agreed with the findings of the PARC that HLI did not fully comply with the distribution of homelots to the farmworker-beneficiaries (FWBs), that the use of “man-days” formula in the distribution of stocks effectively diluted the shares of the qualified FWBs in the corporation and that the provision of the SDP which called for a 30-year timeframe for the distribution of the stocks was violative of the mandated 3-month period to complete the transfer process of shares.

However, the good news all ended there. These favorable declarations seemed very insignificant compared to the alarming statements plaguing the decision. Out of the six (6) grounds cited by PARC, three of the grounds were actually overturned by the Supreme Court. What is even more disconcerting is that the discussions on the three grounds involve interpretations of the law which may be applied to the disadvantage of existing SDPs.

First, the decision disagreed with PARC’s argument that the SDP was void because it failed to enhance the dignity and improve the quality of the lives of the FWBs. It The SC decision stipulated that the law did not guarantee the enhancement of the dignity and improvement of the quality of lives of the FWBs, but merely provided them with an “opportunity” to enhance and improve their lives. Thus, it was not the legal obligation of the HLI under the SDP, nor an imperative imposition of the CARP or DAO 10. As with any business venture, a corporation, such as HLI, cannot guarantee a profitable run all the time.

Proceeding with this view of the SC, SDPs, in general, are not expected to uplift the status of our farmers. While the other farmers who have been granted their own lands under compulsory acquisition are already enjoying the benefits of tilling their own lands, their counterparts who have become subjects to the stock distribution option, such as the FWBs of HLI, are placed at the mercy of the corporate gods. If the corporation proved to be unprofitable, the FWBs are forced to accept their fate. In local parlance, “sorry na lang sila.” This is the picture that the decision conveys. Despite the fact that HLI is far from profitable, having admitted to be deep in debts, the SC still gave the FWBs the worthless option of staying as a stockholder of an ailing corporation contrary to the dictates of social legislation. Pursuant to its fundamental role as defender of the oppressed, it should have intervened and decided in favor of land distribution because it is clearly the better alternative for the FWBs. It cannot wash its hands by saying that the FWBs took the risk when they opted for stock distribution. If the stock option failed to achieve the fundamental objective of agrarian reform, the distribution of the lands to the FWBs becomes imperative.

Second, the decision disagreed with the pronouncement of PARC that the conversion of the lands violated the SDP. As a justification, it maintained that it is not the agricultural land which the law mandates to remain intact but the viability of the corporate operations. If we subscribe by the logic of the decision, HLI can just dispose the agricultural lands and merely claim that it is necessary for the viability of the corporation. It will result to the fragmentation of ownership and will serve to deprive the FWBs of their livelihood and a portion of their share of the land. This is contrary to the very heart of agrarian reform which is the ownership by the farmers of the land they till. Clearly, the physical integrity of the farmlands must remain inviolable.

Third, the decision overturned the pronouncement of PARC that the 2-year period under the law does not pertain to the implementation of the SDP or the distribution of the stocks but applies to the approval of or application for the stock distribution option. However, in its discussion on the period of implementation, it held that the corporate landowner is compelled to complete, not merely initiate, the transfer process of shares within a three (3) month timeframe. Now, which is which? Apparently, even the Court is confused.

Stock Distribution Option : Constitutional or Unconstitutional?

One of the biggest confusions created by the decision concerns the issue of the constitutionality of the mechanism of stock distribution.

The decision stated that the constitutionality issue was rendered moot by the passage of RA 9700 (CARPER) in 2009. Not only was the issue moot, the SC likewise held that it was not the lis mota of the case, which means that its resolution is not critical and that the tribunal can still rule upon the case using other grounds. However, despite these clear pronouncements, the Supreme Court treaded dangerous grounds by discussing and impliedly ruling in favor of constitutionality. This may have an undesirable impact on the other 14 SDOs, 12 of which have been petitioned for revocation, existing throughout the country.

The Supreme Court impliedly upheld the constitutionality of the stock distribution option by stating that it falls within the ambit of the second mode of land distribution which is collective ownership. In the decision, the SC interpreted the words “collective ownership” to mean as “sama-samang paggawa sa isang lupain o isang bukid”, an example of which is the HLI SDP.

In a stock distribution option, farmers are given shares of stocks in corporations instead of lands. In the case of the HLI, the corporation owns the land and the FWBs were given stocks amounting to just 33% of the total number of shares. As mere minor stockholders, the FWBs have no ownership or control over the land and may even be deprived of it by the simple expedient of conversion and sale of the lands by the corporation. Through this mechanism, the FWBs of HLI will never become the owners of the lands. Yes, they may have stocks, but they are still landless. For years, they will be tilling and remain slaves to lands belonging to corporate landowners. Worse, the corporation may even dispose of the majority of the lands under the guise of “sustaining corporate viability” leaving the FWBs with no land at all. Emphatically, the freedom from bondage to the soil envisioned by the true land reform will never be realized.

The words of Justice Mendoza in his dissenting opinion are instructive:

“In a genuine land reform, the qualified FWBs should be given, directly or collectively, ownership of the land they till with all legal rights and entitlement, subject only to the limitations under the law, like the retention limits, expropriation and payment of just compensation. Under a collective ownership, if they are not in control of the cooperative or association, it cannot be considered a compliance with the law.”

Clearly, if the Supreme Court intended to uphold the tenets of true agrarian reform, it should have ruled against the constitutionality of Section 31.

Is the Stock Distribution Option Agreement valid?

It bears emphasis that the nullification of the SDP by PARC was affirmed by the SC. The obvious and necessary consequence of the nullification is that the SDP no longer exists.

The Supreme Court, however, took a different view. Under the cloak of the principle called “operative fact”, it justified the continued existence of the SDP after having declared it to be void. This is borne by the directive of the Supreme Court to allow the farmers the option to remain as stockholders of HLI.

This pronouncement of the SC finds no basis in fact and in law and confuses the public.

The “operative fact” doctrine declares that when a law is found to be unconstitutional, its effects prior to its nullification may be respected as a matter of equity and fair play. It must only be applied in cases where there is a vacuum as to the applicability of any law or jurisprudence. In the case of HLI, there is no vacuum created because Section 31 of CARP categorically states that in the event that a stock distribution is not completed, direct land distribution should be resorted to. Thus, when the SC nullified the SDP, the Court should have applied Section 31 and ordered the distribution of the land.

Furthermore, it must be stressed that the application of the doctrine should be demanded only by equity. Is it equitable to allow the farmers to be stockholders of a corporation that is not only deep in debts but is also highly unprofitable? Is it equitable to allow a corporation to perpetuate injustice to the farmers and circumvent the noble purposes of agrarian reform though the conversion and sale of agricultural lands? Is it equitable to deprive the farmers of their lands for more than two decades? Common sense answers otherwise.

The Supreme Court’s directive to conduct a referendum has no basis

After declaring the nullity of the SDP, the Supreme Court nonetheless proceeded to allow the FWBs to choose a legally baseless agreement. In her dissenting opinion, Justice Lourdes Sereno stated that:

“Without any legal basis left to support the SDP after the pronouncement of the complete nullity of the administrative approval thereof, the majority proceeded to allow the farmworker-beneficiaries (FWBs) of Hacienda Luisita the option to choose a completely legally baseless arrangement. It is legally baseless because an SDP and its operating agreement, a Stock Distribution Option Agreement (SDOA), can only be valid with the corresponding PARC approval. There is not a single legal twig on which the order to proceed with the voting option can hang, except the will of this Court’s majority.”

It must be remembered that the nullification was based on the violations of the provisions of the SDP and ensuing injustice to the farmers. Despite this, the SC still allowed them to remain in the same prejudicial set-up. The SC attempted to validate it by transferring the weight to the farmers through referendum. This is nothing short of a coward decision and is an abrogation of the high court’s fundamental role of upholding social justice. As correctly opined by Justice Sereno in her dissent, “to allow the FWBs, the disadvantaged sector sought to be uplifted through agrarian reform, to remain in an illegal arrangement simply because they choose to so remain is completely contrary to the mandatory character of social justice legislation.”

Referendum should not be treated as an actual option. As admitted by the FWBs themselves, their past experiences with elections (approval 1989 SDOA and the 2010 compromise agreement) indicate that there can never be a truthful referendum and that there is no environment of free and informed choice in HLI. Additionally, referendum is not anchored on any law. In fact, the Supreme Court overstepped its authority by encroaching upon the executive functions of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

The Road Ahead

Since the SDP, which is essentially the same as the SDOA, has already been nullified by the Supreme Court, the logical and only step the government, particularly the DAR, should take is to resort to compulsory acquisition and the ultimate distribution of the lands to the FWBs.

The President and his administration are called to proceed with the coverage of the lands. Since the Temporary Restraining Order has already been lifted, there exists no legal obstacle for the DAR to put the lands under compulsory coverage.

It is time to give the lands to the FWBs. While it may be said that the distribution of the lands may give rise to questions on the economic viability of the small lands, nothing prevents them from pooling their lands and organizing into a cooperative. What is important is that we empower the FWBs by allowing them to decide for themselves, not as slaves to the land, but as proud landowners.

Unless and until there is actual land distribution, there can be no agrarian reform. The Constitution mandates ownership of the land and liberation from bondage to the soil. We should not settle for anything less than that. And not even a confusing decision can stop us.

*** A lawyer by profession, AKBAYAN Rep. Kaka Bag-ao was the Convenor of the Alternative Legal Group, a network of NGOs providing legal support to marginalized communities. She was the legal counsel of the Sumilao farmers.

RIZAL @ 150

2011-06-19T00:42:00.002+08:00

Tanggapin mo, Iskolar para sa Bayan, ang hamon ni Rizal para sa pagbabago.

Isang pag-alala sa isang dakilang Pilipino sa kanyang ika-150 kaarawan.

Flashback: Student Code

2011-06-14T23:56:00.002+08:00

2009: The 2009 Draft Code of Student Conduct was released. Given ambiguous provisions that curtail the basic rights of the students, ALYANSA launched the BREAK THE CODE Campaign. Recognizing every institution’s absolute right to establish rules and regulations governing university-student relations and recognizing the imminent need for changes in the existing rules governing student affairs, the BREAK the CODE Campaign sought to engage the administration to review and revise the 2009 Student Code of Conduct. Along with multiple organizations in the University also pushing for its revision, ALYANSA submitted a 10-page position paper that sufficiently explains contentious points while providing clear and sensible alternatives to the proposal: With the aim of protecting every student’s rights and welfare, ALYANSA called for the removal of the following provisions that are contradictory with our constitutionally guaranteed rights to free association and due process:

- Art. IV, No. 32 | Sec. 3.1, Art. VI: 0.5% Membership Requirement for Organizations
- Sec. 1.3.1.d, Art VI: The No-Freshmen Recruitment Rule
- Sec. 3.1.d.4, Art. VI: Academic Activity Requirement for Organizations
- Sec. 1.2.1, Art VII, Sec. 2.6, Art. VII, Sec. 3.6.5, Art. VII: Rule on Summons
- Sec. 3.6.7, Art. VII, Sec. 4.5.3, Art. VII, Sec. 4.6.3.3, Art. VII: Counsel for Respondent not permitted to argue before SDC/CDC
- Sec. 2.3.a, Art VI: Misconduct
- Sec. 1.3.1.a, Art VI: Harm to Persons
- Sec. 1.4.c, Art. VI: Inappropriate Behavior

The formation also called for the inclusion of the Bill of Students’ Rights that gives explicit and specific mention to particular liberties, benefits, and entitlements that the UP Administration must respect, protect, and guarantee. Concrete mechanisms for consultation on policies that ultimately affect the students were also strongly demanded to ensure that the crafting of policies are genuinely representative and responsive to the needs of the stakeholders.

2010: With the call: “Break the Code of Student Conduct! Oppose repressive and reasonable restrictions! Push for progressive and pro-student provisions!”, the 2009 campaign bore positive results. Majority of the provisions reviewed and suggestions forwarded by the formation along with organizations who boldly took a stand on the issue were taken into consideration on the 2010 Draft Student Code of Conduct. However, rooms for improvements on the 2010 Draft were still possible- and thus forwarded:

- The formation maintains its position that a tambayan is not merely a privilege but a right, in pursuit of the University's goal towards a holistic humanitarian education, as well as a manifestation of our right to join organizations for purposes not contrary to law
- Instead of the disciplinary body inviting “students as resource persons in the conduct of proceedings”, the accused should be the one to have the power to request for the presence of such.
- The requirements for organizational recognition are still not clearly manifested.
- The formation maintains its stand on the inclusion of the Bill of Students’ rights in the Code of Conduct.

Iskolars para sa Bayan, our call for a progressive Student Code of Conduct has not yet come to an end. We are faced with the challenge to be involved in the making of the Student Code of Conduct, and this we should not take lightly. We have definitely broken the code, but what comes next? We craft it. We strengthen it. We uphold it.

Iskolar Para Sa Bayan, kasama ka sa pagpapatibay at pagtatanggol ng ating mga karapatan.
Kasama ka sa ALYANSA.

June 14, 2011

STFAP Under Protest!

2011-06-14T00:58:00.001+08:00

We thought we were faced with a new endeavour, a new evil that spreads fear among our ranks. But, once again, we were wronged and were made fools as we believe the news that some groups claim to be true.

FACT: Last April 8, the UP Administration issued a memorandum declaring that they will use a "revised Socialized Tuition Fee Bracket B Certification for distribution to incoming freshmen students during the Registration Period for the First Semester AY 2011-2012". The additional requirements are: (1) Income Tax Return (ITR) for the last year or, a copy of the employment contract if parent(s) is/are Overseas Filipino Worker(s); and (2) Vicinity map of the family residence. The certification is also required to be notarized.

LIE: The default bracket for incoming freshman students during the Registration Period AY 2011-2012 is Bracket A (or P1,500/unit).

FACT: According to the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA, UP System) and the Office of Scholarships and Student Services (OSSS, UP Diliman), the default bracket for STFAP remains at Bracket B (or P1,000/unit).

We condemn the groups within the University who are spreading fear among the students, in general, and the freshmen, in particular. We encourage our fellow and incoming Iskolars Para Sa Bayan to keep themselves informed and to not let themselves be a victim of misinformation.

But this does not keep us from pushing for a just, progressive, and socialized tuition policy. We condemn the already flawed Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program, and the manner by which this memorandum was issued. Again, the primary stakeholders of the University weren't consulted given the additional requirements to avail the base tuition, a clear violation of Students' Rights and Welfare.

As we have said since 2008, we have waited long enough for the UP Administration to rectify its severe errors. This period has long expired. Let us not stand idly as another year goes by when more and more deserving students are deprived of access to UP education.

Let us show everyone, especially the UP Administration, that our payment of tuition is not an expression of our conformity to their erroneous policies. Let us show that we have PAID UNDER PROTEST against policies that prejudice us and our fellow Iskolars Para Sa Bayan.

PUSH FOR A JUST, PROGRESSIVE, AND SOCIALIZED TUITION POLICY!

June 14, 2011

Araw ng Kalayaan 2011

2011-06-12T00:39:00.002+08:00

Mga Iskolar Para Sa Bayan, tuloy ang laban para sa panlipunang katwiran at kaunlaran ngayong Araw ng Kalayaan!

Ang Iskolar ng Bayan ay Iskolar Para Sa Bayan!

ALYANSA for better budget for UP, higher budget for SUCs

2011-06-06T12:35:00.001+08:00

"Nawa'y marinig natin mula sa Kongresong ito ngayong darating na SONA na ginawang priority bill na ang awtomatikong paglalaan ng 6% ng GNP para sa edukasyon taon-taon. Kasama ninyo ang UP ALYANSA at ang mga Iskolar para sa Bayan sa adhikaing ito."

- Solidarity message ni Aides Baccay, UP ALYANSA Vice Chairperson for Education, Research, and Training, sa ginanap na mobilisasyon ng Youth Against Debt Coalition sa labas ng House of Representatives kaninang umaga.

Photo credit: Freedom from Debt Coalition (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.215546715143430.57988.126626354035467)

interAKSYON.com: "Youth group to lawmakers: Re-channel debt service to education budget" (http://www.interaksyon.com/article/4987/youth-group-to-lawmakers-re-channel-debt-service-to-education-budget)

Bawat Iskolar Para Sa Bayan, #JuanHero!

2011-05-25T00:31:00.002+08:00

Iskolar Para Sa Bayan, kasama ka sa pagtataguyod ng malinis at tapat na pamamahala. Dahil ikaw, ako... Lahat Tayo'y MABUTING PILIPINO!

JUAN HERO AGAINST CORRUPTION
The Mabuting Pilipino Youth Fair and Concert
May 27 (Friday), 3:30PM onwards, Colegio de San Juan de Letran - Manila

UP ALYANSA is a convener of the Mabuting Pilipino Youth Movement.

Marcos: Not A Hero!

2011-05-24T23:46:00.000+08:00

(Pahayag na binasa ni Cathy Alcantara, kasapi ng UP ALYANSA at Konsehal ng University Student Council, sa “Marcos: Not A Hero” press conference sa Colegio de San Juan de Letran.)

Ngayong taon, ipinagdiwang ng buong bayan ang ika-dalawampu’t limang anibersaryo ng Unang EDSA na nagbalik ng demokratikong pamumuno sa ating bansa. Sa kabilang dako, nilagdaan naman ng halos dalawandaang kinatawan ng Kongreso ang House Resolution 1135, na nananawagan kay Pangulong Benigno Aquino III na ilibing na si dating Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos sa Libingan ng mga Bayani. Sa muling pagbuhay sa matagal nang isyung ito, iginigiit ng UP ALYANSA ang mariin nitong pagtutol sa nasabing panukala.

Ang bayani ay isang taong nagtatanggol sa mga naapi, hindi ang kasalungat nito. Sa pagdedeklara ni dating Pangulong Marcos ng Batas Militar halos apatnapung taon na ang nakakaraan, naitala ang mga paglabag sa karapatang pantao na hanggang sa ngayon ay karamihan ng mga biktima ay hindi pa nabibigyan ng hustisya at ang mga nawawala ay hindi pa nahahanap.

Ang bayani ay isang taong iniisip ang kapakanan ng bayan, hindi ang ikasisira nito. Sa ilalim ng diktadurya, namayani ang kultura ng katiwalian na siyang sumira sa ating ekonomiya at lipunan, at nag-iwan ng bilyong dolyar na utang panlabas na nagpahirap sa mga mamamayan.

Ang bayani ay isang taong ipinaglalaban ang katotohanan, hindi ang kasinungalingan. Sa kabila ng mga ebidensya ng katiwalian at karahasan laban sa kanya, ito’y pinabulaanan ni dating Pangulong Marcos, at patuloy na pinagkikibit-balikat lamang ng kaniyang pamilya.

Bilang mga mag-aaral ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, nakatatak pa rin sa isipan ng mga Iskolar para sa Bayan ang sakripisyo ng mga estudyante at iba pang mga progresibong grupo sa ilalim ng Batas Militar. Patunay rito ang mga kasaping-organisasyon ng UP ALYANSA, ang UP Economics Towards Consciousness (o UP ETC), ang UP Lipunang Pangkasaysayan (o UP LIKAS), at ang UP Bukluran sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino (o UP BUKLOD-ISIP), na ilan sa mga organisasyong nabuo upang labanan ang mapanupil na diktadurya.

May mga nagsasabing ang paglilibing kay dating Pangulong Marcos sa Libingan ng mga Bayani ay simpleng paglilibing lamang, at katibayan na ang bayan ay humayo na mula sa mga tunggalian ng nakaraan. Ngunit, hindi rin maikakaila na isinasantabi nito ang hirap na dinanas ng ating bayan upang muling makamit ang demokrasya. Naniniwala ang UP ALYANSA na ang dapat tunguhin ng ating pamahalaan ay ang pagkamit ng hustisya sa mga biktima ng diktadurya, hindi ang paglimot sa kasaysayan.

Kasama ang UP ALYANSA sa panawagang ibasura na ang House Resolution 1135.
Kasama ang bawat Iskolar para sa Bayan sa panawagang, NO TO MARCOS AT THE LIBINGAN NG MGA BAYANI!

Ika-24 ng Mayo, 2011

In Good Faith

2011-05-21T23:54:00.003+08:00

The USC WATCH is a project initiated by UP ALYANSA. Simply, it provides a blow-by-blow account of the ongoing USC Committee Deliberations plus announcements and updates on projects of the USC. The WATCH aimed to be non-partisan in providing updates on what the USC is doing inside and outside of the GA. It aimed to bring the USC closer to the students, and aimed to make the USC the transparent and accountable institution that it's supposed to be.

Sadly, not everyone can work in the spirit of good faith albeit this is what their words profess. During the Committee Deliberations of the USC dated May 18, 2011, Wednesday, members of the University Student Council manifested their strong opinions against the WATCH. Their points ranged on the implications of the WATCH are as follows:

1. The updates were partisan and biased.

2. Several Council members who are not members of ALYANSA were made to look bad by misquoting them and/or taking what they were saying out of context.

3. The Watch is stepping on the rights of the USC to provide updates to the students, specifically, it was stepping on the rights of the Secretary General and the Mass Media Committee to do their duties effectively.

4. The Watch provided a venue for the students to bash other USC members. It was promoting a culture of disrespect given the insults thrown at the USC members.

5. Members of ALYANSA were cited as doing criminal acts of libel, given the claimed misquotes in the WATCH, and stealing of intellectual property, given the uploaded committee proposals of various USC members without their permission.

6. Members of ALYANSA who were doing the WATCH were threatened that cases of libel and intellectual property rights violation would be filed against them should they continue with the WATCH.

We in ALYANSA manifest our strong disappointment and dissent to the USC's reaction with regard to the WATCH, and the USC's action to curtail an independent and autonomous formation, no matter how politically-oriented it is. The words hurled at the formation, plus the threats that we received make us shudder at the curtailment of our rights as an organization to forward a project that was initiated in good faith to bring the USC closer to the students and live through our continuing vision— "Kasama Ka sa USC, Kasama ka sa ALYANSA."

With regard to the forwarded implications of members of the USC, here is what we have to say:

We aimed for the updates to be non-partisan. The posts simply reflected what members of the USC articulated during the Deliberations. However, we do not claim perfection that is why we have always been open to corrections. There were multiple ways to correct the updates— i.e. via commenting, or communicating with any of the members of ALYANSA. We never aimed for any members of other political formations to look bad, nor did we aim to make members of ALYANSA in the USC look good. We only posted and reported what we witnessed. Again, as stipulated many times in our disclaimer, the posts in the USC WATCH are unofficial. We encouraged the students to check the official minutes of the USC meetings prepared by the Secretary General to be able to countercheck our posts. Despite our nature as a political formation, and despite the fact that given our nature whatever we post will always be seen as biased no matter how unbiased we try to be, we can only hope that our acts be seen and recognized in good faith.

We agree, however, that the WATCH became a venue for different groups to attack the USC members, which we tried to prevent by posting constant reminders in the page to only make relevant and responsible comments; and deleting negative comments. In the end though, everyone still has the right to forward whatever they have to say with regard to our public leaders. The fact that the Council members are elected publicly and popularly already subjects them to a wider scope of scrutiny and they should be open-minded enough to hear criticism at its worst and praises at its best. We can only do so much in controlling these comments.

With regard to the criminal accusations—we abhor these threats and unthought-of words. To accuse an organization that you are supposed to represent in the USC with multiple criminal threats without even trying to consult first or talk to it privately to address the issue is a strong contradiction to the ideals and principles that the USC is supposed to uphold. To mindlessly accuse us of libel when there was no malicious intent, to indict us with theft of intellectual property by posting the proponents’ General Plans of Action when, owing to the fact that these proposals are the USC's plans for the students, they should be open to the public is disappointing for an institution that is supposed to be transparent and accountable.

In the end, the comments of our USC is very much noted and still respected in spite of the fact that the same respect cannot be shown to us. This statement is to formally inform the USC in an open response that we will continue with the WATCH not for our own partisan interest—which is a very low assumption of why we're doing this – but because and only because we believe that the highest representative body of UPD which is our USC should continue to uphold transparency, accountability, responsibility, and accessibility.

To address the concerns raised though, the following actions will be taken:

1. Should there be any comments or corrections with regard to the WATCH, the members of the Executive Committee posted in the page may be contacted for corrections.

2. The students are still highly encouraged to check and countercheck the updates from the USC WATCH with the USC Updates and to check the official minutes of the meetings of the USC.

3. The moderators will delete negative and senseless comments to prevent attacks on our USC members.

ALYANSA remains to be an independent, autonomous and principled political formation, and we ask for the USC to recognize this. The USC WATCH will resume tomorrow beginning with posts from the Committee Deliberations on the Basic Student Services Committee dated last May 18, 2011.

PASS THE ANTI-DISCRIMINATION BILL NOW!

2011-05-17T00:28:00.002+08:00

As we commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) today, UP ALYANSA reiterates its call for the immediate passage of the Anti-Discrimination Bill in Congress.

Join the march from Philcoa to the Commission on Human Rights at 2:30 PM today!

Iskolar para sa Bayan, kasama ka sa pagsusulong ng pantay na karapatan para sa lahat.

Beyond Remembering: Labor Day 2011

2011-04-30T23:31:00.000+08:00

Sunday, May 01, 2011: The country will once again commemorate Labor Day. For many of us, this day is merely another holiday, a day-off from work and an excuse to have a vacation. For some of us, this day offers more meaning as some remembers and honors our workers’ past victories to establish an eight hour workday, assemble legally, and form labor unions. For the remaining few, this day is going beyond just remembering as it signals the continuous fight for the rights and welfare of every worker. But then why should only a few continue this historical battle?

The longstanding issue of non-regularization in the ranks of our labor forces, which was recently highlighted by the row between the management and employees of Philippine Airlines (PAL), has been the gravest impediment towards the attainment of job security for our people. Contractual workers are being disposed of like tissue papers by employers by virtue of a time-bound contract. Schemes such as subcontracting, agency-hiring, job-out and the like impinge upon not only their right to receive non-wage benefits (such as SSS, PhilHealth, paid sick leave and the like), join labor unions, and participate in collective bargaining agreements, but also every worker’s right to a decent life.

The current plight of our nation’s workers is a far cry from a society that is just and progressive. And yet, many of us would still choose to just stand idly by, some of us would still choose to simply remember, even as the rights and welfare of the backbone of our economy continue to be dragged behind, even as the future of yet another set of graduates are greeted with the kind of jobs that are not up to par with the education that they’ve received, even as our future, when we join the labor force could remain to be the same.

We implore the members of Congress to act for the swift passage of House Bill 303, or the Security of Tenure Bill that will amend the Labor Code of the Philippines. And while this progressive piece of legislation continues to fall to deaf ears, we urge all sectors of society, most especially the students, to bring the cause against contractual employment to the parliament of the streets.

Now more than ever, we are challenged to go beyond remembering. It is time, as it has always been in years past, to take action on May 1, for what Labor Day truly represents.

Kasama ka sa pagsusulong ng panlipunang katwiran at pagbabago.
Kasama ka sa pagtatanggol sa mga karapatan ng ating mga manggagawa.
Kasama ka, Iskolar para sa Bayan, ngayong Araw ng Paggawa!

May 1, 2011

Towards a Quality, Relevant, and Accessible Education

2011-03-23T23:26:00.000+08:00

(This is a statement delivered at "Outrage 4: Reproving Illiteracy and the Underinvestment in Education," a benefit party of the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance Student Council.)

A prerequisite in the attainment of academic excellence, and social justice and progress is a well-functioning educational system. As the society’s greatest equalizer, education provides equal opportunities for all regardless of one’s race, gender, religion, ethno-linguistic origin and social status. And as a vehicle for nation-building, education inculcates critical and creative thinking, and imbibes nationalism and patriotism to young Filipinos. It is with these reasons that the State is constitutionally-mandated to provide quality, relevant, and accessible education to the youth of our nation.

Is this, however, the path we are traversing right now?

Last year, President Benigno S. Aquino III slashed the budget of State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) for 2011 by 1.7% (or ₱800 million) from its budget for 2010, putting on hold the construction of new buildings and facilities and the purchase of new equipment. The Commission on Higher Education suffered a bigger cut at ₱1.7 billion, or 33.24% lower from 2010’s, putting the student and faculty scholarship programs of the Commission in jeopardy.

While ALYANSA has been actively working for the passage of the Students’ Rights and Welfare Bill in Congress that guarantees the delivery of adequate academic facilities and welfare services, the education sector’s measly budget will never be enough to build new classrooms, buy quality and error-free books, train competent teachers, and provide welfare services for all students.

This is not the path that we should be traversing as a nation.

Together with our national networks, ALYANSA has been pushing for a higher budget for the whole education sector. The Six Will Fix, a campaign by the Youth Against Debt Coalition or YAD (of which ALYANSA is a member), calls for the enactment of a law that will automatically appropriate budget for education equating to 6% of the Gross National Product (GNP).

Last September 27, 2010, ALYANSA joined YAD in a protest action against the decrease in the budget of SUCs and CHED outside the Batasan Pambansa, and lobbied with members of the House of Representatives. Our call garnered the support of some lawmakers, including Compostela Valley Rep. Maricar Zamora-Apsay who pledged her support to our cause through a formal communication. On November 25, 2010, members of ALYANSA participated in the Sectoral Regents-led strike against the cut in the 2011 UP budget, and lobbied inside the Senate of the Philippines.

In the years to come, ALYANSA will continue to encourage students to be informed and involved on the issue of the education budget through the BUDGET WATCH. Through engaging means such as forums, lobbying activities and mass actions, we will provide avenues where the students can exert influence on the government’s policy formulation – in reviewing relevant government policies and proposing alternatives with regard to the issue of the education budget.

An investment to education is also an investment to our country's future. ALYANSA enjoins the NCPAG Student Council, the NCPAG community, and every Iskolar para sa Bayan in securing quality, relevant, and accessible education for every Filipino.

March 19, 2011

Ang Iskolar Para Sa Bayan ay Iskolar Laban Sa Karahasan!

2011-03-18T22:53:00.001+08:00

April 2010: Lester Pascua, an alumnus and a former Vice-Chairperson for Publicity and Publications of ALYANSA was attacked by masked men using lead pipes in Katipunan.

March 12, 2011: Carlo Tañada, UP ALYANSA's 2007 College of Human Kinetics Representative to the USC candidate and founding member of the Forging Leadership and Excellence in CHK (FLEx CHK), was also attacked in a very similar manner as Lester's.

Should there be more?

March 17, 2011: This question was answered affirmatively as two groups of men engaged into a brawl, leaving AS Parking another bloody area of brutality. No details have been released yet but it appears that this is another case of fraternity-related violence. Despite having these on- and near-campus skirmishes, ALYANSA reiterates that violence has no place in an institution of higher education, education that is geared towards service to the people.

ALYANSA has always been at the forefront of leading the fight against fraternity-related violence. We remain committed in continuing our campaign against this barbaric behavior that is unforgivable for civilized human beings.

We call on the members of Greek-letter organizations to turn from such acts of aggression, and to be one with the students in sincerely condemning all forms of violence. To our fellow Iskolar para sa Bayan, it's time we end this culture of sadism. Join us in this battle of condemning acts of violence by being part of SAWA (Student-led Anti Fraternity Violence Watch Alliance).

Iskolar Para Sa Bayan, tutulan ang karahasan!
Hindi ito sukatan ng kadakilaan, katapangan, at kapatiran!

KASAMA KA sa patuloy na paghangad at pagkamit ng katarungan!

March 18, 2011

Maraming Salamat, Iskolar para sa Bayan

2011-02-21T22:41:00.015+08:00

Maraming salamat, Iskolar para sa Bayan, dahil Kasama Ka.

You have been with us for an entire year, when we sought honor and excellence in our student institutions. You have been with us, as we redefined leadership and service by being Iskolars para sa Bayan.

Now, the banners of blue, yellow, and red have been rolled up. The streets have gotten calmer. Another election has passed. This election, with every pin, every poster, and every statement, with every room-to-room campaign, every handshake, and every speech, ALYANSA sounded one common message: Lahat tayo, Iskolar Para sa Bayan.

In every classroom, every org, and every dorm we visited, this message resonated with each of our fellow UP students, our fellow Iskolars Para sa Bayan. Thanks to you, we have established our identity as scholars who live by the values of honor, excellence, leadership, and service. Thanks to you, ALYANSA will continue to bring these values into our next University Student Council. And thanks to you, it will be these values that will guide us as we face the coming year’s challenges within and beyond the University.

Through all the cheers and the jeers, the praise and the occasional criticism, the joy and the tears, you were with us as we gave our all for a better USC and a better UP. Now, as we are humbled by your trust and support, we pray that we will continue to work together in pursuing our hopes for the future.

To our opponents, we echo the call to unite our collective strength towards the vision of a better tomorrow. After all that has been said and done, we ask that you join us in bridging the divisions left by this electoral battle. Let us recognize that amidst our diversity, it is the good of our community and our nation that we would all give our lives for. With this understanding, let us make the coming year the best UP has yet to see.

Bughaw, pula, o dilaw, kasama ka sa paglilingkod tungo sa pagbabago.

Isko’t Iska, maraming, maraming salamat.

Lahat tayo, Iskolar Para sa Bayan.

Your USC 2011-2012

2011-02-09T20:00:00.001+08:00

Para sa UP, para sa Bayan

2011-02-04T09:56:00.009+08:00

LIKE our facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/IskolarParaSaBayan

PASS the message

2011-01-22T20:17:00.001+08:00

Are you ready to P A S S ?

2011-01-11T11:11:00.005+08:00

O 1 1 : Connect. Share. Transform.

2011-01-11T11:00:00.000+08:00

2 O 1 1. ALYANSA starts the new decade with its call to CONNECT, SHARE, and TRANSFORM. We will continue to inspire and activate student leaders who are driven to make a difference. We will continue to serve. We will continue to deliver.

Kasama Ka, Isko at Iska!

2011-01-01T11:00:00.000+08:00

UP Student Leaders Must Uphold UP Ideals

2010-12-13T10:57:00.004+08:00

UP student leaders must uphold UP ideals

[Published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on 13 December 2010]

THE STORY of our student leaders is the story of the brave and the few who take on the role of primus inter pares, first among equals. Just like every student, student leaders struggle with their academics, but they have the added responsibility to lead and serve us as our elected representatives. It is a difficult road that they have chosen; we, UP students, are grateful for their sacrifices.

The chairman of the University Student Council (USC), Rainier Astin Sindayen, chose to walk this road. We sincerely thank him for leading us, students of UP Diliman, especially at a time when the quality of our education was being threatened by budget cuts.

However, we cannot ignore this disturbing trend among our student leaders to disregard their responsibility to pursue academic excellence, the responsibility to do no more and no less than the best that we can. To fail in this responsibility is to dishonor all who are sacrificing for our education: ourselves, our families, our university and our nation.

The motto of our university is “Honor and Excellence.” We, leaders or not, are expected to strive to be honorable and excellent. How can we allow anyone who doesn’t uphold honor and excellence to represent the university? With our USC chairman unable to re-enroll in his department due to academic delinquency, his legitimacy as a student leader is suspect. The consequences of his negligence are grave, as the USC will always be questioned, their acts constantly under a shadow of doubt. However, led by his partymates acting as a rubber stamp, the USC has upheld his tenure twice in spite of the clear rules mandating him to relinquish power. The USC is squandering whatever is left of its moral ascendancy to lead.

With this, we can only sincerely appeal to our USC chairman to exercise genuine leadership, to value his own integrity and to comply with the rules of his council. As we still believe in his sense of idealism, we ask him to make the supreme sacrifice of stepping down from his post for the sake of the students—to uphold HONOR and EXCELLENCE, to become an iskolar para sa bayan.

(You may also read this letter at this LINK.)

The Logic of Student Leadership

2010-12-12T11:35:00.002+08:00

This is Akbayan Youth UP Diliman's statement on the leadership crisis in the University Student Council. Akbayan Youth UP Diliman is a proud member-organization of UP ALYANSA.

To be an Iskolar para sa Bayan

2010-12-06T10:56:00.004+08:00

We thank our student leaders for the sacrifice that they made for us. Nonetheless, for a student leader to disregard his or her academic responsibilities, to maintain even just the MINIMUM academic standing, is a disservice. It is a disservice, not just to the students that he or she serves, but also to the Filipino people, to whom we owe this education.

To our University Student Council, do the right thing.

Resolve the leadership crisis in the University Student Council.

Uphold honor and excellence in student leadership.

The UP Agenda

2010-12-06T10:52:00.003+08:00

Para sa bagong halal na UP President na si Alfredo Pascual, nawa'y maging para sa mga mag-aaral at para sa Bayan ang mga gawain mo sa iyong termino. Iskolar para sa Bayan, kasama ka sa pagbantay ng bagong UP Admin.

A Higher Budget for Education

2010-11-26T12:13:00.003+08:00

From our recent updates:

"While members of ALYANSA are at the UP community strike, a contingent led by Will del Rosario (ALYANSA Vice Chair for STRAW) and Arrow Pabiona (BUKLOD CSSP Director for STRAW) is at the Senate to lobby for a higher budget for education."

We unite with the rest of the UP community in pushing for a higher budget for education. This is an issue that transcends our affiliations, and we support different actions that would promote this cause.

Iskolar para sa Bayan, kasama ka sa iba't ibang uri ng pagkilos para sa mas mataas na budget para sa edukasyon!

(Watch out for our next updates regarding our lobbying efforts in the Senate.)

To Be An Iskolar

2010-11-19T08:21:00.004+08:00

Uphold HONOR and EXCELLENCE in the University!

Honor and Excellence

2010-10-09T11:47:00.003+08:00

"Honor and excellence. Honor first before excellence. It's not excellence and honor, it's honor and excellence. And what is the fruit of honor and excellence? Is it not competence and integrity? In other words, if you have lived up to your promise and your potential as a university student, you are in a position to ...be part of the solution to this country's problems, not part of the problem."

-Professor Winnie Monsod

This is just one of the memorable quotes from Professor Monsod's last lecture to her Econ 100.1 students this semester. Watch the video here.

Online Student Evaluation of Teachers

2010-09-19T16:08:00.006+08:00

From the Computerized Registration System (CRS) site:

All students enrolled this First Semester AY 2010-2011 are required to accomplish the Online Student Evaluation of Teachers through the SET Answering Module of the CRS. The module will be open until October 8, 2010 (Friday).

Please proceed to the UP CRS site for the online student evaluation: http://crs.upd.edu.ph. Thank you!

Pass the Freedom of Information Bill NOW!

2010-09-12T21:56:00.004+08:00

The truth delayed is the truth denied.

Pass the Freedom of Information Bill NOW!

Congratulations, UP PEP SQUAD!

2010-09-12T17:08:00.005+08:00

Congratulations to the UP PEP SQUAD, the 2010 UAAP Cheerdance Competition CHAMPIONS! Hala bira, UP!

Watch UP's winning performance here:

Iskolar Para Sa Bayan

2010-09-09T23:57:00.010+08:00

ANSWERING THE CHALLENGE

We in ALYANSA have always believed that the University Student Council (USC) is a showcase of our principles and shared values. Our leadership reflects our character. Our credibility, as student leaders, emanates from our decision to remain true to these principles, values, and character that we hold dear.

Our call, “Kasama Ka”, is a reflection of the formation’s character for the past decade. It is not merely a show for self-congratulation. Being “kasama” implies the our work as ALYANSA -- our constant efforts to bridge our differences, our passionate work for progressive change, and our purposeful service to the University and country. Summed by our challenge to become Iskolars para sa Bayan, we have enjoined students for a decade to go beyond themselves and become a force for social justice and social progress.

It is in this light that we answer the challenge of our friends from the other side of the fence.

When red banners unfurl with the fiery rhetoric of militant action, isn’t that borne out of a desire for social transformation? While we often clash and disagree on issues, ALYANSA has always been united with its counterparts in desiring for social transformation. We have shown throughout our history that we can unite for a common purpose even as we disagree. We have ousted a corrupt President in 2001, we have defended the Manininda’s tenure in UP in 2005, and we are now protecting the Office of the Student Regent by condemning its vacancy as a disservice to students.

When yellow is being touted as the color of unity, and students put it at the helm of the USC, isn’t that a result of a promise for change? Even if ALYANSA belongs to the opposite side of the fence, we have been consistent with serving the students. Even as promises are broken, and the prospect for change turns sour, ALYANSA never abandoned the USC.

For a decade, we held our blue standard high and lived out our words “Kasama Ka.” It is the reason why ALYANSA continues to be the best alternative for change. We spoke out against fraternity-related violence all throughout our ten years. We are the formation that advocated revisions for the UP Charter, which passed in 2008, way back in 2003. We are the formation that led the USC with integrity in 2004, 2007, and 2008. We are the formation that successfully pushed for the reform of the STFAP in 2009, consistent with the core concept of social justice.

This is leadership that we have always demonstrated for a decade -- ready to involve, never to leave behind. This is leadership that we serve to uphold -- ready to unite, never to divide. This is the leadership that carries our principle -- ready to listen, never to impose.

We may be different, but we share a common humanity. This is the humanity we serve to uplift in ALYANSA. This is the essence of “kasama ka”, and this is the brand of leadership we offer to our beloved UP.

Iskolar Para Sa Bayan, Kasama Ka.

S.A.G.U.T. Ka ng SLAAC Primer

2010-09-08T22:04:00.005+08:00

Click on the LINK to get your own copy!

The Student Legal Aid and Action Committee (SLAAC) of the University Student Council, led this year by USC Councilor Simoun Salinas from the College of Law, has recently come up with a primer of our basic rights. Taken from the 1987 Constitution, this primer is part of a series aiming to inform us of the laws we need to know. The Law Representative to the USC, Chingkay Martirez, is this primer's editor.

S.A.G.U.T. Ka ng SLAAC stands for Sasamahan, Aalalayan, Gagabayan, Uugnayin at Tutulungan Ka ng SLAAC.

UPHOLD STRAW!

2010-09-04T23:57:00.019+08:00

UP ALYANSA, with BUKLOD CSSP and AKBAYAN Youth, have successfully concluded the "Uphold STRAW" forum at Palma Hall on September 3, 2010. Former Rep. Risa Hontiveros of Akbayan Partylist was the event's keynote speaker. This well-attended forum discussed the advocacy for a Student Rights and Welfare Bill to be passed in Congress.

In line with this advocacy, UP ALYANSA is part of the Student Rights and Welfare Coalition, a broad alliance which includes the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines (SCAP) and the Movement for the Advancement of Student Power (MASP).

Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel is a Filipino activist, journalist, and politician who served as the party-list representative of the Akbayan Citizens' Action Party to the Philippines' House of Representatives. Having served as a journalist for ten years before venturing into politics, she is a recipient of the Kapisanan ng Mga Broadkaster ng Pilipinas' Golden Dove Award for Best Female Newscaster. She also earned a Nobel peace prize nomination for her work as chair the Government Panel's Reciprocal Working Committee on Socio-Economic Reforms in the Peace Talks with the National Democratic Front from 1998 to 1999.

2010 Search for UP President

2010-09-01T11:34:00.009+08:00

Iskolar para sa Bayan, kasama ka sa pagpili ng UP President!

Know more about the background and vision of the men and women vying to become the next President of the University of the Philippines. Click on the links for the following candidates to know more about their curriculum vitae (CV) and vision for UP.

1. Prof. Consolacion Alaras
(CV | Vision Paper)

2. Dr. Patrick Azanza
(CV | Vision Paper)

3. Prof. Leonor Briones
(CV | Vision Paper)

4. Dr. Esperanza Cabral
(CV | Vision Paper)

5. Chancellor Sergio Cao
(CV | Vision Paper)

6. Prof. Benjamin Diokno
(CV | Vision Paper)

7. Vice-President Ma. Serena Diokno
(CV | Vision Paper)

8. Dean Raul Pangalangan
(CV | Vision Paper)

9. Regent Alfredo Pascual
(CV | Vision Paper)

10. Prof. Virginia Teodosio
(CV | Vision Paper)

11. Chancellor Rey Velasco
(CV | Vision Paper)

How about you? What do you want for the next UP President? Please leave us your comments. Please join our straw poll as well. Thank you!

[Note: This poll is UNOFFICIAL and for survey purposes only. Thank you.]

NCR Youth Summit (September 1, 2010)

2010-09-01T11:27:00.003+08:00

UP ALYANSA is currently with the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines (SCAP), Movement for the Advancement of Student Power (MASP), AKBAYAN Youth, Students' Rights and Welfare Coalition, at SK Reform Coalition! for the NCR Youth Summit. This event aims to catalyze action towards a progressive legislative agenda for the youth. This is ongoing at the Ateneo de Manila University campus and the Senate halls.

Iskolar para sa Bayan, kasama ka sa pagbabago!

Iiwasan Ko Mismo (Help Prevent Dengue)

2010-08-30T11:28:00.008+08:00

IIWASAN KO MISMO ANG DENGUE
Educational Video Project: Dengue Control in the Philippines

A collaborative project of:

De La Salle University Manila (DLSU)
Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM)
Infectious Diseases Office, National Communicable Disease Control Program, Department of Health (DOH)

With funding support from:

The International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR)

Cast

UP Sirkulo ng mga Kabataang Artista (UP SIKAT)

National Heroes Day (August 30, 2010)

2010-08-30T10:49:00.006+08:00

"Mapalad ang bayang linitawan ng mga bayani sapagka't ang bayang iya'y walang kamatayan." (Andres Bonifacio)

ALYANSA joins the entire Filipino nation in celebrating the sacrifice of our country's countless heroes. Kasama ka, kasama tayong lahat, sa pag-alala at pasasalamat sa sakripisyo ng ating mga bayani. Kasama rin tayong lahat sa pagpapatuloy ng kanilang kabayanihan, sa ating sariling paraan.

Uphold Student's Rights and Welfare!

2010-08-29T15:19:00.004+08:00

Iskolar para sa Bayan, alamin ang ating mga karapatan! Know more about

the proposed Magna Carta of Students through Rep. Walden Bello and
Former Rep. Risa Hontiveros.

This is brought to you by UP ALYANSA, BUKLOD CSSP, and AKBAYAN Youth.

Sawa na kami sa Frat-Related Violence!

2010-08-27T11:38:00.010+08:00

At around 1:00 am, exactly three years ago, the lifeless body of NCPAG student leader Cris Mendez was brought to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center due to alleged hazing by a UP fraternity. Up to this point in time, NO ONE has been held accountable for his death.

To this, we cry: JUSTICE! Iskolar para sa Bayan, patuloy na tutulan ang karahasan. Hindi ito sukatan ng kadakilaan, karangalan, o kapatiran!

UP Student-Led Anti-Fraternity Violence Watch (SAWA) video shown during freshmen orientation programs at the start of Academic Year 2008-2009.

UP Alyansa ng mga Mag-aaral para sa Panlipunang Katwiran at Kaunlaran (ALYANSA) is an active organization in SAWA.

National Day of Mourning (August 25, 2010)

2010-08-25T11:24:00.005+08:00

KASAMA ang ALYANSA sa pagdadalamhati ng buong Pilipinas sa madugong hostage-taking noong Lunes.

KASAMA rin ang ALYANSA sa panawagan sa hustisya para sa lahat ng biktima.

KASAMA rin ang ALYANSA sa panawagan upang hindi na muling maulit ang madugong pangyayaring ito.

KASAMA KA sa patuloy na Laban!

2010-08-21T12:53:00.012+08:00

August 21, 2010:

We remember a great man who died for this country. We remember his ideals, and his dreams for the country.

We remember Ninoy Aquino.

Makalimutan na ang pangalan, huwag lang ang ipinaglaban. Kasama ka sa patuloy na laban para sa pagbabago.

Change for 100

2010-08-01T17:42:00.004+08:00

We in ALYANSA continue to clamor for a vigilant and committed Filipino people, one that understands the necessity of accountability, transparency and fervor in achieving social justice and social progress.

(Please click the image to read our statement.)

Dignified, humane, and committed

2010-08-01T09:05:00.001+08:00

‎"Today, we look back on her life as an example of how it is to truly be a Filipino: dignified, humane, and committed."

(Please click the image to read our statement.)

Salamat, Tita Cory!

2010-08-01T06:30:00.000+08:00

From ALYANSA's Statement on the Death of President Cory Aquino (released August 2, 2009):

"In her passing, let us remember and celebrate Cory Aquino's brand of leadership that is sincere and unwavering. With this, we Iskolars para sa Bayan are called to continue the fight to preserve the democracy that the EDSA People Power Revolution restored. In doing so, we in ALYANSA believe that we must first value the freedom that we have now by exercising our right to speak and act through peaceful means against injustice--a concrete manifestation of the triumph of EDSA through Cory Aquino."

SONA 2010 (Transcript)

2010-07-26T19:22:00.000+08:00

State of the Nation Address
of Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III (transcript)

abs-cbnNEWS.com

Posted at 07/26/2010 4:46 PM | Updated as of 07/26/2010 6:09 PM

July 26, 2010, Batasan Pambansa Complex, Quezon City

(Transcribed by abs-cbnNEWS.com)

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte; Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile; Vice President Jejomar Binay; Chief Justice Renato Corona; Former Presidents Fidel Valdez Ramos and Joseph Ejercito Estrada; members of the House of Representatives and the Senate; distinguished members of the diplomatic corps; my fellow workers in government;

Mga minamahal kong kababayan:

Sa bawat sandali po ng pamamahala ay nahaharap tayo sa isang sangandaan.

Sa isang banda po ay ang pagpili para sa ikabubuti ng taumbayan. Ang pagtanaw sa interes ng nakakarami; at pagkapit sa prinsipyo; at ang pagiging tapat sa sinumpaan nating tungkulin bilang lingkod-bayan. Ito po ang tuwid na daan.

Sa kabilang banda ay ang pag-una sa pansariling interes. Ang pagpapaalipin sa pulitikal na konsiderasyon, at pagsasakripisyo ng kapakanan ng taumbayan. Ito po ang baluktot na daan.

Matagal pong naligaw ang pamahalaan sa daang baluktot. Araw-araw po, lalong lumilinaw sa akin ang lawak ng problemang ating namana. Damang-dama ko ang bigat ng aking responsibilidad.

Sa unang tatlong linggo ng aming panunungkulan, marami po kaming natuklasan. Nais ko pong ipahayag sa inyo ang iilan lamang sa mga namana nating suliranin at ang ginagawa naming hakbang para lutasin ang mga ito.

Sulyap lamang po ito; hindi pa ito ang lahat ng problemang haharapin natin. Inilihim at sadyang iniligaw ang sambayanan sa totoong kalagayan ng ating bansa.

Sa unang anim na buwan ng taon, mas malaki ang ginastos ng gobyerno kaysa sa pumasok na kita. Lalong lumaki ang deficit natin, na umakyat na sa 196.7 billion pesos. Sa target na kuleksyon, kinapos tayo ng 23.8 billion pesos; ang tinataya namang gastos, nalagpasan lang natin ng 45.1 billion pesos.

Ang budget po sa 2010 ay 1.54 trillion pesos.

Nasa isandaang bilyong piso o anim at kalahating porsyento na lang ng kabuuan ang malaya nating magagamit para sa nalalabing anim na buwan ng taong ito.

Halos isang porsyento na lang po ng kabuuang budget ang natitira para sa bawat buwan.

Saan naman po dinala ang pera?

Naglaan ng dalawang bilyong piso na Calamity Fund bilang paghahanda para sa mga kalamidad na hindi pa nangyayari. Napakaliit na nga ng pondong ito, ngunit kapapasok pa lang natin sa panahon ng baha at bagyo, 1.4 billion pesos o sitenta porsyento (70%) na ang nagastos.

Sa kabuuan ng 108 million pesos para sa lalawigan ng Pampanga, 105 million pesos nito ay napunta sa iisang distrito lamang.

Samantala, ang lalawigan ng Pangasinan na sinalanta ng Pepeng ay nakatanggap ng limang milyong piso (P5M) lamang para sa pinsalang idinulot ng bagyong Cosme, na nangyari noong 2008 pa.

Ibinigay po ang pondo ng Pampanga sa buwan ng eleksyon, pitong buwan pagkatapos ng Ondoy at Pepeng. Paano kung bumagyo bukas? Inubos na ang pondo nito para sa bagyong nangyari noong isang taon pa. Pagbabayaran ng kinabukasan ang kasakiman ng nakaraan.

Ganyan din po ang nangyari sa pondo ng MWSS. Kamakailan lamang, pumipila ang mga tao para lang makakuha ng tubig. Sa kabila nito, minabuti pa ng liderato ng MWSS na magbigay ng gantimpala sa sarili kahit hindi pa nababayaran ang pensyon ng mga retiradong empleyado.

Noong 2009, ang buong payroll ng MWSS ay 51.4 million pesos. Pero hindi lang naman po ito ang sahod nila; may mga additional allowances at benefits pa sila na aabot sa 160.1 million pesos.

Sa madaling sabi, nakatanggap sila ng 211.5 million pesos noong nakaraang taon.

Beinte-kuwatro porsyento (24%) lang nito ang normal na sahod, at sitenta'y sais porsyento ang dagdag.

Ang karaniwang manggagawa hanggang 13th month pay plus cash gift lang ang nakukuha.

Sa MWSS, aabot sa katumbas ng mahigit sa tatlumpung buwan ang sahod kasama na ang lahat ng mga bonuses at allowances na nakuha nila.

Mas matindi po ang natuklasan natin sa pasahod ng kanilang Board of Trustees. Tingnan po natin ang mga allowances na tinatanggap nila:

Umupo ka lang sa Board of Trustees at Board Committee meeting, katorse mil na. Aabot ng nobenta'y otso mil ito kada buwan. May grocery incentive pa sila na otsenta mil kada taon.

Hindi lang iyon: may mid-year bonus, productivity bonus, anniversary bonus, year-end bonus, at Financial Assistance. May Christmas bonus na, may Additional Christmas Package pa. Kada isa sa mga ito, nobenta'y otso mil.

Sa suma total po, aabot ang lahat ng dalawa't kalahating milyong piso kada taon sa bawat miyembro ng Board maliban sa pakotse, technical assistance, at pautang. Uulitin ko po. Lahat ng ito ay ibinibigay nila sa kanilang mga sarili habang hindi pa nababayaran ang mga pensyon ng kanilang mga retirees.

Pati po ang La Mesa Watershed ay hindi nila pinatawad. Para magkaroon ng tamang supply ng tubig, kailangang alagaan ang mga watershed. Sa watershed, puno ang kailangan.

Pati po iyon na dapat puno ang nakatayo, tinayuan nila ng bahay para sa matataas na opisyal ng MWSS.

Hindi naman sila agad maaalis sa puwesto dahil kabilang sila sa mga Midnight Appointees ni dating Pangulong Arroyo.

Iniimbestigahan na natin ang lahat nang ito. Kung mayroon pa silang kahit kaunting hiya na natitira - sana kusa na lang silang magbitiw sa puwesto.

Pag-usapan naman po natin ang pondo para sa imprastruktura. Tumukoy ang DPWH ng dalawandaan apatnapu't anim na priority safety projects na popondohan ng Motor Vehicle Users Charge. Mangangailangan po ito ng budget na 425 million pesos.

Ang pinondohan po, dalawampu't walong proyekto lang. Kinalimutan po ang dalawandaan at labing walong proyekto at pinalitan ng pitumpung proyekto na wala naman sa plano. Ang hininging 425 million pesos, naging 480 million pesos pa, lumaki lalo dahil sa mga proyektong sa piling-piling mga benepisyaryo lang napunta.

Mga proyekto po itong walang saysay, hindi pinag-aralan at hindi pinaghandaan, kaya parang kabuteng sumusulpot.

Tapos na po ang panahon para dito. Sa administrasyon po natin, walang kota-kota, walang tongpats, ang pera ng taumbayan ay gagastusin para sa taumbayan lamang.

Meron pa po tayong natuklasan. Limang araw bago matapos ang termino ng nakaraang administrasyon, nagpautos silang maglabas ng 3.5 billion pesos para sa rehabilitasyon ng mga nasalanta nina Ondoy at Pepeng.

Walumpu't anim na proyekto ang paglalaanan dapat nito na hindi na sana idadaan sa public bidding. Labingsiyam sa mga ito na nagkakahalaga ng 981 million pesos ang muntik nang makalusot. Hindi pa nailalabas ang Special Allotment Release Order ay pirmado na ang mga kontrata.

Buti na lang po ay natuklasan at pinigilan ito ni Secretary Rogelio Singson ng DPWH. Ngayon po ay dadaan na ang kabuuan ng 3.5 billion pesos sa tapat na bidding, at magagamit na ang pondo na ito sa pagbibigay ng lingap sa mga nawalan ng tahanan dahil kina Ondoy at Pepeng.

Pag-usapan naman natin ang nangyari sa NAPOCOR. Noong 2001 hanggang 2004, pinilit ng gobyerno ang NAPOCOR na magbenta ng kuryente nang palugi para hindi tumaas ang presyo. Tila ang dahilan: pinaghahandaan na nila ang eleksyon.

Dahil dito, noong 2004, sumagad ang pagkakabaon sa utang ng NAPOCOR. Napilitan ang pambansang gobyerno na sagutin ang dalawandaang bilyong pisong utang nito.

Ang inakala ng taumbayan na natipid nila sa kuryente ay binabayaran din natin mula sa kaban ng bayan. May gastos na tayo sa kuryente, binabayaran pa natin ang dagdag na pagkakautang ng gobyerno.

Kung naging matino ang pag-utang, sana'y nadagdagan ang ating kasiguruhan sa supply ng kuryente. Pero ang desisyon ay ibinatay sa maling pulitika, at hindi sa pangangailangan ng taumbayan. Ang taumbayan, matapos pinagsakripisyo ay lalo pang pinahihirapan.

Ganito rin po ang nangyari sa MRT. Sinubukan na namang bilhin ang ating pagmamahal. Pinilit ang operator na panatilihing mababa ang pamasahe.

Hindi tuloy nagampanan ang garantiyang ibinigay sa operator na mababawi nila ang kanilang puhunan. Dahil dito, inutusan ang Landbank at Development Bank of the Philippines na bilhin ang MRT.

Ang pera ng taumbayan, ipinagpalit sa isang naluluging operasyon.

Dumako naman po tayo sa pondo ng NFA.

Noong 2004: 117,000 metric tons ang pagkukulang ng supply ng Pilipinas. Ang binili nila, 900,000 metric tons. Kahit ulitin mo pa ng mahigit pitong beses ang pagkukulang, sobra pa rin ang binili nila.

Noong 2007: 589,000 metric tons ang pagkukulang ng supply sa Pilipinas. Ang binili nila, 1.827 million metric tons. Kahit ulitin mo pa ng mahigit tatlong beses ang pagkukulang, sobra na naman ang binili nila.

Ang masakit nito, dahil sobra-sobra ang binibili nila taun-taon, nabubulok lang pala sa mga kamalig ang bigas, kagaya ng nangyari noong 2008.

Hindi po ba krimen ito, na hinahayaan nilang mabulok ang bigas, sa kabila ng apat na milyong Pilipinong hindi kumakain ng tatlong beses sa isang araw?

Ang resulta nito, umabot na sa 171.6 billion pesos ang utang ng NFA noong Mayo ng taong ito.

Ang tinapon na ito, halos puwede na sanang pondohan ang mga sumusunod:

Ang budget ng buong Hudikatura, na 12.7 billion pesos sa taong ito.

Ang Conditional Cash Transfers para sa susunod na taon, na nagkakahalaga ng 29.6 billion pesos.

Ang lahat ng classroom na kailangan ng ating bansa, na nagkakahalaga ng 130 billion pesos.

Kasuklam-suklam ang kalakarang ito. Pera na, naging bato pa.

Narinig po ninyo kung paano nilustay ang kaban ng bayan. Ang malinaw po sa ngayon: ang anumang pagbabago ay magmumula sa pagsiguro natin na magwawakas na ang pagiging maluho at pagwawaldas.

Kaya nga po mula ngayon: ititigil na natin ang paglulustay sa salapi ng bayan.

Tatanggalin natin ang mga proyektong mali.

Ito po ang punto ng tinatawag nating zero-based approach sa ating budget. Ang naging kalakaran po, taun-taon ay inuulit lamang ang budget na puno ng tagas. Dadagdagan lang nang konti, puwede na.

Sa susunod na buwan ay maghahain tayo ng budget na kumikilala nang tama sa mga problema, at magtutuon din ng pansin sa tamang solusyon.

Ilan lang ito sa mga natuklasan nating problema. Heto naman po ang ilang halimbawa ng mga hakbang na ginagawa natin.

Nandiyan po ang kaso ng isang may-ari ng sanglaan. Bumili siya ng sasakyang tinatayang nasa dalawampu't anim na milyong piso ang halaga.

Kung kaya mong bumili ng Lamborghini, bakit hindi mo kayang magbayad ng buwis?

Nasampahan na po ito ng kaso. Sa pangunguna nina Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, BIR Commissioner Kim Henares at Customs Commissioner Lito Alvarez, bawat linggo po ay may bago tayong kasong isinasampa kontra sa mga smuggler at sa mga hindi nagbabayad ng tamang buwis.

Natukoy na rin po ang salarin sa mga kaso nina Francisco Baldomero, Jose Daguio at Miguel Belen, tatlo sa anim na insidente ng extralegal killings mula nang umupo tayo.

Singkuwenta porsyento po ng mga insidente ng extralegal killings na nangyari sa maikling taon ng ating panunungkulan ang patungo na sa kanilang resolusyon.

Ang natitira pong kalahati ay hindi natin tatantanan ang pag-usig hanggang makamit ang katarungan.

Pananagutin natin ang mga mamamatay-tao. Pananagutin din natin ang mga corrupt sa gobyerno.

Nagsimula nang mabuo ang ating Truth Commission, sa pangunguna ni dating Chief Justice Hilario Davide. Hahanapin natin ang katotohanan sa mga nangyari diumanong katiwalian noong nakaraang siyam na taon.

Sa loob ng linggong ito, pipirmahan ko ang kauna-unahang Executive Order na nagtatalaga sa pagbuo nitong Truth Commission.

Kung ang sagot sa kawalan ng katarungan ay pananagutan, ang sagot naman sa kakulangan natin sa pondo ay mga makabago at malikhaing paraan para tugunan ang mga pagkatagal-tagal nang problema.

Napakarami po ng ating pangangailangan: mula sa edukasyon, imprastruktura, pangkalusugan, pangangailangan ng militar at kapulisan, at marami pang iba. Hindi kakasya ang pondo para mapunan ang lahat ng ito.

Kahit gaano po kalaki ang kakulangan para mapunuan ang mga listahan ng ating pangangailangan, ganado pa rin ako dahil marami nang nagpakita ng panibagong interes at kumpyansa sa Pilipinas.

Ito ang magiging solusyon: mga Public-Private Partnerships. Kahit wala pa pong pirmahang nangyayari dito, masasabi kong maganda ang magiging bunga ng maraming usapin (ukol ditto).

May mga nagpakita na po ng interes, gustong magtayo ng expressway na mula Maynila, tatahak ng Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, hanggang sa dulo ng Cagayan Valley nang hindi gugugol ang estado kahit na po piso.

Sa larangan ng ating Sandatahang Lakas:

Mayroon po tayong 36,000 nautical miles na baybayin. Ang mayroon lamang tayo: tatlumpu't dalawang barko. Itong mga barkong ito, panahon pa ni General MacArthur.

May nagmungkahi sa atin, ito ang proposisyon: uupahan po nila ang headquarters ng Navy sa Roxas Boulevard at ang Naval Station sa Fort Bonifacio.

Sagot po nila ang paglipat ng Navy Headquarters sa Camp Aguinaldo. Agaran, bibigyan tayo ng isandaang milyong dolyar. At dagdag pa sa lahat nang iyan, magsusubi pa sila sa atin ng kita mula sa mga negosyong itatayo nila sa uupahan nilang lupa.

Sa madali pong sabi: Makukuha natin ang kailangan natin, hindi tatayo gagastos, kikita pa tayo.

Marami na pong nag-alok at nagmungkahi sa atin, mula lokal hanggang dayuhang negosyante, na magpuno ng iba't ibang pangangailangan.

Mula sa mga public-private partnerships na ito, lalago ang ating ekonomiya, at bawat Pilipino makikinabang. Napakaraming sektor na matutulungan nito.

Maipapatayo na po ang imprastrukturang kailangan natin para palaguin ang turismo.

Sa agrikultura, makapagtatayo na tayo ng mga grains terminals, refrigeration facilities, maayos na road networks at post-harvest facilities.

Kung maisasaayos natin ang ating food supply chain sa tulong ng pribadong sektor, sa halip na mag-angkat tayo ay maari na sana tayong mangarap na mag-supply sa pandaigdigang merkado.

Kung maitatayo ang minumungkahi sa ating mga railway system, bababa ang presyo ng bilihin. Mas mura, mas mabilis, mas maginhawa, at makakaiwas pa sa kotong cops at mga kumokotong na rebelde ang mga bumibiyahe.

Paalala lang po: una sa ating plataporma ang paglikha ng mga trabaho, at nanggagaling ang trabaho sa paglago ng industriya. Lalago lamang ang industriya kung gagawin nating mas malinis, mas mabilis, at mas maginhawa ang proseso para sa mga gustong magnegosyo.

Pabibilisin natin ang proseso ng mga proyektong sumasailalim sa Build-Operate-Transfer. Sa tulong ng lahat ng sangay ng gobyerno at ng mga mamamayan, pabababain natin sa anim na buwan ang proseso na noon ay inaabot ng taon kung hindi dekada.

May mga hakbang na rin pong sinisimulan ang DTI, sa pamumuno ni Secretary Gregory Domingo:

Ang walang-katapusang pabalik-balik sa proseso ng pagrehistro ng pangalan ng kumpanya, na kada dalaw ay umaabot ng apat hanggang walong oras, ibababa na natin sa labinlimang minuto.

Ang dating listahan ng tatlumpu't anim na dokumento, ibababa natin sa anim. Ang dating walong pahinang application form, ibababa natin sa isang pahina.

Nananawagan ako sa ating mga LGUs. Habang naghahanap tayo ng paraan para gawing mas mabilis ang pagbubukas ng mga negosyo, pag-aralan din sana nila ang kanilang mga proseso. Kailangan itong gawing mas mabilis, at kailangan itong itugma sa mga sinisumulan nating reporma.

Negosyante, sundalo, rebelde, at karaniwang Pilipino, lahat po makikinabang dito. Basta po hindi dehado ang Pilipino, papasukin po natin lahat iyan.

Kailangan na po nating simulan ang pagtutulungan para makamit ito. Huwag nating pahirapan ang isa't isa.

Parating na po ang panahon na hindi na natin kailangang mamili sa pagitan ng seguridad ng ating mamamayan o sa kinabukasan ng inyong mga anak.

Oras na maipatupad ang public-private partnerships na ito, mapopondohan ang mga serbisyong panlipunan, alinsunod sa ating plataporma.

Magkakapondo na po para maipatupad ang mga plano natin sa edukasyon.

Mapapalawak natin ang basic education cycle mula sa napakaikling sampung taon tungo sa global standard na labindalawang taon.

Madadagdagan natin ang mga classroom. Mapopondohan natin ang service contracting sa ilalim ng GASTPE.

Pati ang conditional cash transfers, na magbabawas ng pabigat sa bulsa ng mga pamilya, madadagdan na rin ng pondo.

Maipapatupad ang plano natin sa PhilHealth.

Una, tutukuyin natin ang tunay na bilang ng mga nangangailangan nito. Sa ngayon, hindi magkakatugma ang datos. Sabi ng PhilHealth sa isang bibig, walumpu't pitong porsyento na raw ang merong coverage. Sa kabilang bibig naman, singkuwenta'y tres porsyento. Ayon naman sa National Statistics Office, tatlumpu't walong porsyento ang may coverage.

Ngayon pa lang, kumikilos na si Secretary Dinky Soliman at ang DSWD upang ipatupad ang National Household Targetting System, na magtutukoy sa mga pamilyang higit na nagangailangan ng tulong. Tinatayang siyam na bilyon ang kailangan para mabigyan ng PhilHealth ang limang milyong pinakamaralitang pamilyang Pilipino.

Napakaganda po ng hinaharap natin. Kasama na po natin ang pribadong sektor, at kasama na rin natin ang League of Provinces, sa pangunguna nina Governor Alfonso Umali kasama sina Governor L-Ray Villafuerte at Governor Icot Petilla. Handa na pong makipagtulungan para makibahagi sa pagtustos ng mga gastusin. Alam ko rin pong hindi magpapahuli ang League of Cities sa pangunguna ni Mayor Oscar Rodriguez.

Kung ang mga gobyernong lokal ay nakikiramay na sa ating mga adhikain, ang Kongreso namang pinanggalingan ko, siguro naman maasahan ko din.

Nagpakitang-gilas na po ang gabinete sa pagtukoy ng ating mga problema at sa paglulunsad ng mga solusyon sa loob lamang ng tatlong linggo.

Nang bagyo pong Basyang, ang sabi sa atin ng mga may prangkisa sa kuryente, apat na araw na walang kuryente. Dahil sa mabilis na pagkilos ni Secretary Rene Almendras at ng Department of Energy, naibalik ang kuryente sa halos lahat sa loob lamang ng beinte-kwatro oras.

Ito pong sinasabing kakulangan sa tubig sa Metro Manila, kinilusan agad ni Secretary Rogelio Singson at ng DPWH. Hindi na siya naghintay ng utos, kaya nabawasan ang perwisyo.

Nakita na rin natin ang gilas ng mga hinirang nating makatulong sa Gabinete. Makatuwiran naman po sigurong umasa na hindi na sila padadaanin sa butas ng karayom para makumpirma ng Commission on Appointments. Kung mangyayari po ito, marami pa sa mga mahuhusay na Pilipino ang maeengganyong magsilbi sa gobyerno.

Sa lalong madaling panahon po, uupo na tayo sa LEDAC at pag-uusapan ang mga mahahalagang batas na kailangan nating ipasa. Makakaasa kayo na mananatiling bukas ang aking isipan, at ang ating ugnayan ay mananatiling tapat.

Isinusulong po natin ang Fiscal Responsibility Bill, kung saan hindi tayo magpapasa ng batas na mangangailangan ng pondo kung hindi pa natukoy ang panggagalingan nito. May 104.1 billion pesos tayong kailangan para pondohan ang mga batas na naipasa na, ngunit hindi maipatupad.

Kailangan din nating isaayos ang mga insentibong piskal na ibinigay noong nakaraan. Ngayong naghihigpit tayo ng sinturon, kailangang balikan kung alin sa mga ito ang dapat manatili at kung ano ang dapat nang itigil.

Huwag po tayong pumayag na magkaroon ng isa pang NBN-ZTE. Sa lokal man o dayuhan manggagaling ang pondo, dapat dumaan ito sa tamang proseso. Hinihingi ko po ang tulong ninyo upang amiyendahan ang ating Procurement Law.

Ayon po sa Saligang Batas, tungkulin ng estado ang siguruhing walang lamangan sa merkado. Bawal ang monopolya, bawal ang mga cartel na sasakal sa kumpetisyon. Kailangan po natin ng isang Anti-Trust Law na magbibigay-buhay sa mga prinsipyong ito. Ito ang magbibigay ng pagkakataon sa mga Small- at Medium-scale Enterprises na makilahok at tumulong sa paglago ng ating ekonomiya.

Ipasa na po natin ang National Land Use Bill.

Una rin pong naging batas ng Commonwealth ang National Defense Act, na ipinasa noon pang 1935. Kailangan nang palitan ito ng batas na tutugon sa pangangailangan ng pambansang seguridad sa kasalukuyan.

Nakikiusap po akong isulong ang Whistleblower's Bill upang patuloy nang iwaksi ang kultura ng takot at pananahimik.

Palalakasin pa lalo ang Witness Protection Program. Alalahanin po natin na noong taong 2009 hanggang 2010, may nahatulan sa 95% ng mga kaso kung saan may witness na sumailalim sa programang ito.
Kailangang repasuhin ang ating mga batas. Nanawagan po akong umpisahan na ang rekodipikasyon ng ating mga batas, upang siguruhing magkakatugma sila at hindi salu-salungat.

Ito pong mga batas na ito ang batayan ng kaayusan, ngunit ang pundasyon ng lahat ng ginagawa natin ay ang prinsipyong wala tayong mararating kung walang kapayapaan at katahimikan.

Dalawa ang hinaharap nating suliranin sa usapin ng kapayapaan: ang situwasyon sa Mindanao, at ang patuloy na pag-aaklas ng CPP-NPA-NDF.

Tungkol sa situwasyon sa Mindanao: Hindi po nagbabago ang ating pananaw. Mararating lamang ang kapayapaan at katahimikan kung mag-uusap ang lahat ng apektado: Moro, Lumad, at Kristiyano. Inatasan na natin si Dean Marvic Leonen na mangasiwa sa ginagawa nating pakikipag-usap sa MILF.

Iiwasan natin ang mga pagkakamaling nangyari sa nakaraang administrasyon, kung saan binulaga na lang ang mga mamamayan ng Mindanao. Hindi tayo puwedeng magbulag-bulagan sa mga dudang may kulay ng pulitika ang proseso, at hindi ang kapakanan ng taumbayan ang tanging interes.

Kinikilala natin ang mga hakbang na ginagawa ng MILF sa pamamagitan ng pagdidisplina sa kanilang hanay. Inaasahan natin na muling magsisimula ang negosasyon pagkatapos ng Ramadan.

Tungkol naman po sa CPP-NPA-NDF: handa na ba kayong maglaan ng kongkretong mungkahi, sa halip na pawang batikos lamang?

Kung kapayapaan din ang hangad ninyo, handa po kami sa malawakang tigil-putukan. Kayo po ba ay handa na din? Mag-usap tayo.

Mahirap magsimula ang usapan habang mayroon pang amoy ng pulbura sa hangin. Nananawagan ako: huwag po natin hayaang masayang ang napakagandang pagkakataong ito upang magtipon sa ilalim ng iisang adhikain.

Kapayapaan at katahimikan po ang pundasyon ng kaunlaran. Habang nagpapatuloy ang barilan, patuloy din ang pagkakagapos natin sa kahirapan.

Dapat din po nating mabatid: ito ay panahon ng sakripisyo. At ang sakripisyong ito ay magiging puhunan para sa ating kinabukasan. Kaakibat ng ating mga karapatan at kalayaan ay ang tungkulin natin sa kapwa at sa bayan.

Inaasahan ko po ang ating mga kaibigan sa media, lalo na sa radyo at sa print, sa mga nagbablock-time, at sa community newspapers, kayo na po mismo ang magbantay sa inyong hanay.

Mabigyang-buhay sana ang mga batayang prinsipyo ng inyong bokasyon: ang magbigay-linaw sa mahahalagang isyu; ang maging patas at makatotohanan, at ang itaas ang antas ng pampublikong diskurso.

Tungkulin po ng bawat Pilipino na tutukan ang mga pinunong tayo rin naman ang nagluklok sa puwesto. Humakbang mula sa pakikialam tungo sa pakikilahok. Dahil ang nakikialam, walang-hanggan ang reklamo.

Ang nakikilahok, nakikibahagi sa solusyon.

Napakatagal na pong namamayani ang pananaw na ang susi sa asenso ay ang intindihin ang sarili kaysa intindihin ang kapwa. Malinaw po sa akin: paano tayo aasenso habang nilalamangan ang kapwa?

Ang hindi nabigyan ng pagkakataong mag-aral, paanong makakakuha ng trabaho? Kung walang trabaho, paanong magiging konsumer? Paanong mag-iimpok sa bangko?

Ngunit kung babaliktarin natin ang pananaw-kung iisipin nating "Dadagdagan ko ang kakayahan ng aking kapwa"-magbubunga po ito, at ang lahat ay magkakaroon ng pagkakataon.

Maganda na po ang nasimulan natin. At mas lalong maganda po ang mararating natin. Ngunit huwag nating kalimutan na mayroong mga nagnanasang hindi tayo magtagumpay. Dahil kapag hindi tayo
nagtagumpay, makakabalik na naman sila sa kapangyarihan, at sa pagsasamantala sa taumbayan.

Akin pong paniwala na Diyos at taumbayan ang nagdala sa ating kinalalagyan ngayon. Habang nakatutok tayo sa kapakanan ng ating kapwa, bendisyon at patnubay ay tiyak na maaasahan natin sa Poong Maykapal. At kapag nanalig tayo na ang kasangga natin ay ang Diyos, mayroon ba tayong hindi kakayanin?

Ang mandato nating nakuha sa huling eleksyon ay patunay na umaasa pa rin ang Pilipino sa pagbabago. Iba na talaga ang situwasyon. Puwede na muling mangarap. Tayo nang tumungo sa katuparan ng ating mga pinangarap.

Maraming salamat po.

Kasama Ka sa Pagbabago, UP!

2010-07-26T19:18:00.001+08:00

Iskolar Para Sa Bayan, Kasama Ka.

Panahon na. SONA 2010

2010-07-24T19:05:00.000+08:00

Panahon Na.

Let the Countdown to Change Begin.

ALYANSA on the 2010

State of the Nation Address

Read our full statement here.

(Visit http://upalyansa.multiply.com)

Panahon Na. Let the Countdown to Change Begin.

2010-07-21T01:03:00.000+08:00

07:26:2010

The First State of the Nation Address of President Noynoy Aquino

Why I support ALYANSA

2010-03-14T18:04:00.000+08:00

I've been active in campus politics for the past eight years. I've involved myself as part of the campaign machinery, as a member of the executive board of my political party, and a member of the council. It's been one big roller coaster ride. When I started out, I was idealistic, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I felt that through my party, and later through the student council I could actually change the world, even just a teeny tiny bit. But I soon found out that such is not the case. It was a rude awakening, actually. There was no one to hold my hand or walk me through it all as I realized that being involved in politics (campus or otherwise) is an almost certain path to disillusionment and burn-out. Not to mention the buckets of tears I cried over the years, big (literally and figuratively) baby that I am. At least that was the way it was for me. In my masochistic heart of hearts, I enjoyed the different responsibilities and the opportunity to get to know and work with other people, but at the end of the day, I realized that I didn't like the constant feeling of self-doubt that in my case inevitably comes with being in a public position. You constantly second-guess yourself and your motives and become sensitive to what others say and think even if in the past such was not the case. It was because of all this that I decided not to run again, both in undergrad and subsequently in law school.

It also did not help that over the years, my personal sometimes great, and sometimes not-so great, experiences were effectively multiplied and compounded as I was privy to the many misgivings and heartaches people I knew who were likewise involved in campus politics had. Through my not-so-baby brother who spent one year in the USC and two in the School of Economics Council, I vicariously experienced day in and day out how sometimes good intentions coupled with good ideas are sometimes not enough. Through many friends, I vicariously felt the pain of personal attacks and mudslinging. While I did not like what others were experiencing and felt for them, such also gave me a taste of reality, of the imperfections and flaws in the system, in any system for that matter.

Despite the imperfections and flaws, I remained with my party, ALYANSA. Sure I didn't always agree with certain decisions made by my party, quite vocally making it known to the world. I felt that my loyalty to my party was hinged on the principles espoused and not to the personalities involved. I think that is why despite my many misgivings over the past eight years, I have had no problem staying on. I've realized over time that it is practically impossible to attain perfection or even complete satisfaction with the way things are. It's simply a matter of making the most of what we have, and remaining true to ourselves and what we stand for. Yes, it may sound like I've settled, that I've compromised, but I beg to differ. There's nothing shameful in 'settling' for as long as there is consistency with principles and no one is harmed in the process. What is important at the end of the day is integrity. Whether you stood by unwaveringly for what you believed in and lived and led in such a matter as would be consistent with those principles especially in the face of trying circumstances even if there are more convenient paths to take. That for me is the non-negotiable.

That is why it's easy for me to say that despite the many heartaches and heartbreaks campus politics has given me a taste of over the years, I have no problems remaining with ALYANSA even as a mere supporter. Despite knowing the hardships of campus politics from the campaign, to the time one is actually holding the office, there is the internal drive and spirit to once again present themselves as a real choice to the UP students. That was something I could not bring myself to do and that remains something I continue to admire in others for that takes courage, strength of spirit and commitment to something bigger than the fleeting highly-charged emotions, criticisms, and the like that inevitably come with any kind of campaign. Politics can sometimes be dirty and frustrating, but there is that willingness to go beyond the bad – and sometimes ugly – in pursuit of the quixotic impossible dream.

In the same way I vote for candidates in the coming national elections based on platforms, principles, and integrity, I vote for ALYANSA because I know what they stand for. I know where they are located in the political spectrum. I know that with them, what I see is what I get and that they're not pretending to be something else simply to get votes. In the imperfect system we have to contend with, I choose to vote for leaders whose principles and ideals are consistent with mine and who have the audacity to aspire for better things for all of us. That appeals to the idealist in me. Maybe these ideals will never come into fruition, but I harbor no doubts they will at least try their very best and will take on the burden of standing for and speaking up for what they believe is right even if it's not popular or even if it's difficult, as true leaders would and should.

Arianne Reyes
Juris Doctor, UP College of Law (2010)

Vice-President, UP Law Student Government (2008-2009)

BA Political Science, magna cum laude (2006)

Chairperson, CSSP Student Council (2005-2006)

#1 Councilor/Secretary-General, CSSP Student Council (2004-2005)

Answering the Challenge

2010-02-20T13:14:00.001+08:00

We in ALYANSA have always believed that the University Student Council (USC) is a showcase of our principles and shared values. Our leadership reflects our character. Our credibility, as student leaders, emanates from our decision to remain true to these principles, values, and character that we hold dear.

Our call, “Kasama Ka”, is a reflection of the formation’s character for the past decade. It is not merely a show for self-congratulation. Being “kasama” implies the our work as ALYANSA--our constant efforts to bridge our differences, our passionate work for progressive change, and our purposeful service to the University and country. Summed by our challenge to become Iskolars para sa Bayan, we have enjoined students for a decade to go beyond themselves and become a force for social justice and social progress.

It is in this light that we answer the challenge of our friends from the other side of the fence.

When red banners unfurl with the fiery rhetoric of militant action, isn’t that borne out of a desire for social transformation? While we often clash and disagree on issues, ALYANSA has always been united with its counterparts in desiring for social transformation. We have shown throughout our history that we can unite for a common purpose even as we disagree. We have ousted a corrupt President in 2001, we have defended the Manininda’s tenure in UP in 2005, and we are now protecting the Office of the Student Regent by condemning its vacancy as a disservice to students.

When yellow is being touted as the color of unity, and students put it at the helm of the USC, isn’t that a result of a promise for change? Even if ALYANSA belongs to the opposite side of the fence, we have been consistent with serving the students. Even as promises are broken, and the prospect for change turns sour, ALYANSA never abandoned the USC.

For a decade, we held our blue standard high and lived out our words “Kasama Ka.” It is the reason why ALYANSA continues to be the best alternative for change. We spoke out against fraternity-related violence all throughout our ten years. We are the formation that advocated revisions for the UP Charter, which passed in 2008, way back in 2003. We are the formation that led the USC with integrity in 2004, 2007, and 2008. We are the formation that successfully pushed for the reform of the STFAP in 2009, consistent with the core concept of social justice.

This is leadership that we have always demonstrated for a decade--ready to involve, never to leave behind. This is leadership that we serve to uphold--ready to unite, never to divide. This is the leadership that carries our principle--ready to listen, never to impose.

We may be different, but we share a common humanity. This is the humanity we serve to uplift in ALYANSA. This is the essence of “kasama ka”, and this is the brand of leadership we offer to our UP.

Kasama Ka ng UP ALYANSA di lang sa salita, ngunit sa gawa.

2010-02-20T00:51:00.000+08:00

It's been a good six years ago when campus elections had as its defining issue the draft New UP Charter, meant to replace the decades-old University Charter of 1908. Students were initially seen to be divided; political parties against the draft UP Charter wanted it scrapped. They alleged that it was anti-student. They campaigned that UP students had already rejected it outright. Having been elected as the UP Diliman USC Chairperson of that time, and guided by UP ALYANSA's pillar of Progressive, Multi-Perspective Activism, we literally brought the USC around the campus.

We did not have the benefit of internet bandwidth back then: there was no Facebook, Multiply, or Youtube. The General Assembly had to do the rounds and engage students as to how they felt about issues. After having compiled all the meeting notes, position papers, and statements, the USC had more than enough material to constructively deliberate and forward its position not just as pieces of paper to be circulated on campus, but as documents submitted to the halls of Congress. The proverbial student's voice had a multiplier in the UP ALYANSA-led USC, and our team made sure that every hearing or proceeding in the Senate or the House of Representatives had a UPD USC member attending and actively participating.

That was how it was with UP ALYANSA at the helm. The Captain of the Ship was the student body; the USC dutifully sailed the boat of policy towards the destination that students wanted. And we were vindicated: fastforward to the present and it is the very Charter that we students of yesteryears supported that has now led to the legal recognition of student councils and student publications, the inclusion of a Staff Regent, and even the groundwork for the CRSRS Referendum held recently.

From its name itself - UNIVERSITY Student Council, the USC must be seen not as an opportunity for any particular local college to shine. Its view is University-wide; its affairs are not colored by local college interests. We exchanged views directly with the Chancellor of UP Diliman, and at times had to advocate for student's rights before no less than the UP President. I found out that a Chairperson had to have a broad perspective. He should be someone who has been there at that level, someone who has the interests of ALL UP Diliman students in mind.

I may no longer be spending as much time on campus as I used to. Thanks to the internet however, all the posters, pins, documents, and GPOAs have found their way onto my computer screen. With the experience of running a USC in mind (one that I inherited with lots of debts but left with surplus cash upon turnover), I have determined that ALYANSA has not wavered in its commitment to strengthen student institutions by way of a sound platform of government.

Led by its candidate for Chair Mario Cerilles and his partner in management Vice Chair Bevs Lumbera, the entire team of ALYANSA Councilors and College Reps has great potential. I support their candidacy.

I hope and pray that students will see through all the flashbang, stun-effects of the campaign and realize that it is ALYANSA's slate that knows exactly what to do and how to do it as regards the complex institution that is the UP Diliman USC.

Atty. Kris Ablan
Chairperson, UP Diliman USC 2004-2005
Provincial Board Member, Province of Ilocos Norte

Chairperson, University Student Council (2004-2005)

Kasama natin ang ALYANSA ♥

2010-02-08T13:38:00.000+08:00

Kasama ka sa pagbabago --
our time for change is now.
We are called to transcend our differences,
through unity that reflects our shared values.

Kasama ka sa paglilingkod --
our service defines our purpose.
We are called to a cause much larger than ourselves,
to become persons for others, igniting transformation.

Kasama ka, Iskolar para sa Bayan --
our future is within our grasp.
We are called to a common endeavor,
charting a future shaped by our collective aspiration.

Kasama ka sa isang ALYANSA --
our individual voices are called to speak as one.
Let us create a new partnership for change,
realizing our heritage, taking charge of our common future.

Kuwentong puyat, o kung bakit hindi dapat nakatingala kapag nangangarap.

2010-02-03T12:08:00.000+08:00

Pangarap ang madalas nagtutulak sa atin para makagawa ng mga bagay na sa unang akala ay hindi natin kakayanin. Batang-bata ako at promdi nang unang masalpak sa UP kaya’t aminadong dehado ako kung papaanong hamunin ang bagong tereyn na ito. Kung tutuusin, hindi naman bago sa akin ang magpakabibo --- maging elementary man o high school, batang may laban na ako. Pero UP naman na kasi ito, at ang daan paakyat ay hindi kasing dali dahil sa dami naming bibo at biba. Public Administration ang kursong pinili ko kaya’t hindi mahirap isipin na ang maging lider ang karir na gusto kong pasukin.

Bilang freshie, sa Kalai ako unang nadestino. Dahil batang sadyang mapangarap at pabibo, naging Corridor Representative agad ako ng pinakababang palapag ng dorm. Dahil nga nasa pinakababa, "there’s no way but up" sa isip-isip ko kaya’t salamat sa kati ng aking paang tumakbo at sa angking (ahem) charms, naging Chairperson ako ng buong Kalayaan Residence Hall. Magaan naman sa akin ang pagbalikat ng responsibilidad na ito dahil masarap makihalubilo sa iba’t ibang kultura lalo’t gayong well-represented pa ang lahat ng rehiyon sa bansa sa dorm admissions noon.

Akala ko sa Kalai na rin matatapos ang karir ko dahil di naman na biro ang maging kinatawan ng limang-daan sa mga pinakabibong isko at iska ng buong bansa! Solb na rin ika nga pero kung bibigyan pa rin ng mas malaking pagkakataon para umangat, tuloy pa. Dito na nagsimula ang kanilang pag-aligid. Una pangiti-ngiti lang, konting kwentuhan sa isawan ni Mang Larry, tapos sa driveway ng Kalai, hanggang pati na sa NCPAG! (clue: ka-course ko siya, at sa malaon ay magiging kinatawan siya ng mga isko at iska sa Quezon Hall). Masarap siyang kausap at dahil dun madali akong nagtiwala sa kanya. Minsan nayaya niya ako sa isang forum ukol sa kalagayan ng edukasyon, at interesado naman ako kaya’t hindi na niya ako kinailangang pilitin, kusang loob na akong sumama. Sa puntong iyon naganap ang bagay na babago sa buhay ko. Hindi naging madaling masikmura lalo’t iba ang sinasabi ng utak ko sa ipinaririnig sa akin. Kung mula Kalai Chair ay mismong kalayaan ko na sa pagtatanong at pakikipagdiskusyon ang magiging kapalit ng pag-akyat, hindi bale na lang. Nawala na lang sa isip ko ang mga pangarap kong makilahok sa pulitika ng UP.

Mga bandang February at dala ng pakikibonding sa mga floormates ko mula Pangasinan ay nakita ko na lang ang sarili kong nakikigupit ng blue pins kasama nila. Iyong pangalan sa blue pin, NCPAG din pala. Sa paggupit ng blue pin nagsimula ang magiging mahabang relasyon ko sa Alyansa. Sa Alyansa pala, kahit nagugupit ng pin, pinapakinggan ang tanong. Maski freshie at saling-pusa, binigyan pa rin ako ng halaga na magkaroon ng sarili kong opinyon. Napakalaking bagay para sa akin noon lalo na’t may maikukumpara akong naging masama karanasan sa iba.

Lalo pang nasinsin ang paghanga ko sa Alyansa nang sumalang ako bilang kandidato at isa iyon sa mga bagay kung bakit maituturing kong mapalad ako. Sa loob ng mga malayang talakayan ukol sa napakaraming issue ko nakita kung gaano pinapahalagahan sa Alyansa ang pakikisama sa iba. Mahaba man o nakakapagod o abutin man ng pagpupuyat hanggang madaling araw ang mga diskusyon at debate, walang puntong maliit o hindi pakikinggan. Siyempre, parang ulam na masarap papakin, natuto akong namnamin ang bawat salita, kanino man ito nanggaling— freshie, tander, girl, boy, bakla, tomboy.

Hindi naman pala kailangang galing sa taas at sa tinitingala lamang manggaling ang mga solusyon sa mga sitwasyong ating kinakaharap. Mas mahalagang mapakinggan ang punto ng ating mga katabi, lalo na iyong mga saling-pusa— iyong mga naisantabi, isinagilid, at walang kapangyarihan.

Totoo nga, sino ka man, mahalaga sa Alyansa na maging kasama ka sa paglalakbay tungo sa mga pagbabagong atin pa ring pinapangarap.

Rbee Mallari
BA Public Administration (2006)
MA Demography, CSSP (2007-to date)
Chairperson, Kalayaan Residence Hall Association 2002-2003
NCPAG Representative, University Student Council 2004-2005
Convenor, ALYANSA Circle of Individuals 2005-2006

The Work for Change Remains

2010-02-03T12:05:00.000+08:00

A Reflection on the ALYANSA Majority, 2004-2005

For better or for worse, the first ALYANSA majority in the University Student Council back in 2004 would always be a fertile ground for debate. Its impressive sweep of the USC, its ensuing governance by an alliance of moderates and independents, and its subsequent inability to repeat a victory until 2007 is paradise for speculation. Nonetheless, as a member of that majority, my personal take on the Council is this --- excited with the prospect of victory, we knew we were at the cusp of sweeping change in the University. Looking back, we knew we succeeded on many fronts, and failed in some others. Nonetheless, we knew one thing for certain --- we showed UP the exciting possibilities of a more inclusive partnership in the USC.

The big idea that guided the ALYANSA majority in the USC was simple --- deliver accountable, visible and competent leadership. We wanted to show that we could do things differently. We wanted to show that moderates and independents could achieve a legacy in the USC. We wanted to show that our brand of leadership embodied character, competence and common sense.

To be accountable, to be visible and to embody competent leadership, this we did in the USC. We leveled down a debt, hundreds of thousands of pesos worth, to a first-ever surplus. The Ikot USC, showcasing the continued presence of the Council in colleges, dorms and orgs, succeeded in making the Council more visible for the first time in years. The campaign for a progressive UP Charter passage also took flight in our Council, resulting in its passage into law in 2008.

Human as we are, we had our shortcomings. We had lots of them, for sure. We knew that much of our work remained unfinished. Nonetheless, I guess, it was meant to be that way. As the work for progress always remains incomplete, there is always room for better ways of leading, of being, of doing. There would be leaders in ALYANSA much better than us, who would achieve more, who would bring us closer to that promise of change.

Thus, long after we have had our day in the USC, we remain fired up with that promise. Even as we have moved on to our individual fields, we continue to give back and guide our juniors in ALYANSA. Indeed, if there was ALYANSA taught us, it was this --- majority or not, the work for an inclusive, progressive, principled partnership with the University and country remains.

Patrick John “Pats” Alcantara
Faculty Member, Xavier School
BA Psychology (2006)
MA Basic Education Teaching, AdMU (2007-to date)
Councilor, University Student Council (2004-2005)
Vice-Chairperson for Education, ALYANSA (2005-2006)
Founding President, UP SIKAT

UP ALYANSA Kasi Ako …. Angal Ka?

2010-02-03T12:00:00.000+08:00

Bilang parte ng ALYANSA mas minabuti kong isulat itong aking salaysay sa Filipino. Masakit sa ilong ang sumulat sa Ingles lalo na kung ito ang pamamaraan ng komunikasyon sa opisina. Natuwa naman ako nang maimbitahan akong sumulat tungkol sa personal kong experience sa ALYANSA. Nais kong ibahagi kung paano lubos na naimpluwensahan ng ALYANSA ang aking pagkatao mula sa aking karakter, pag iisip at pakikihalubilo sa mga tao.

Sinasabi natin na ang ating pormasyon ay progressive at multi-perspective, ito ang natatangi kong ipinagmamalaki sa aking pakikipaghalubilo sa mga tao. Alam naman natin na hindi pare-pareho ang mga tao at ang pagkakaroon na bukas at malawak na pang-unawa ay naitutulong ng pagiging multi-perspective. Corny kung iisipin pero kung tutuusin nangyayari nga ito araw araw. Sa dami ng nakakasalamuha kong tao lalo na sa ngayon, mahalaga maging mapag-unawa. Hindi ko kailangan ipilit sa tao ang mga paniniwala na mayroon ako, kailangan lamang maipaunawa sa kanila kung ano ang klase ng prinsipyo ko. Progressive pa rin ako kasi nakukuha ko pa rin palawagin ang pang unawa ko sa prinsipyo ng ibang tao at hindi ko isinasara ang pag-iisip ko sa mga pagbabagong pwede palang mangyari sa aking paniniwala.

Siyempre, dahil hindi perpekto ang mundo lalo na sa pribadong korporasyon, marami pa ring reklamo --- lalo na sa kaso ko! Reklamo kung reklamo pa nga eh. Pero, ang natutunan ko sa ALYANSA, sa bawat reklamo kailangan maging proactive. Sa bawat reklamo, importanteng tumbasan mo ng suggestion kung paano malulutas ang problema. Natural ang reklamo pero sa akin kasi nagrereklamo ang isang tao kasi alam niyang may mabuti pang paraan para gawin ang mga bagay-bagay. Alam ko na ganyan ang ALYANSA kaya nga tayo naiiba sa pormasyon na nasa UP.

Kung tutuusin ang isang miyembro ng pormasyon tulad ng ALYANSA, nahuhubog ang personalidad depende sa paniniwala na nasa pormasyon. Kaya nga. kapag may natatanong sa akin…

“Bakit ka ba ganyan?”

“UP ALYANSA kasi ako… angal ka?”

Libz Palomo
Web Process Owner, IBM Business Services
BA Political Science (2001)
MA Industrial Relations, UP SOLAIR (2007-to date)
Councilor, CSSP Student Council 1999-2000
Councilor, University Student Council 2000-2001
Founding Member, UP ALYANSA

KASAMA KA sa ALYANSA

2010-02-01T03:33:00.006+08:00

One decade ago, at a pivotal point in our history, ALYANSA was formed as a force for social transformation both from within and beyond the University. Today, as another turning point looms in the horizon, these ills are very much present, and the pessimism they breed is as strong as ever.

In achieving the daunting goals we have set for ourselves, we clearly have yet to succeed. Nonetheless, our journey thus far has not been in vain. In a decade, we have represented our fellow students with a brand of leadership that delivers, engages, and unifies.

It is with this hope from our past that we look towards our future.

In our future, ALYANSA sees a UP unified by leadership that walks with integrity, a testament to the principles our University was built upon and is capable of. We believe that our principles demonstrate our values, and leading with principles allows a community as diverse as ours to transcend our differences and work for common goals. Our same principles would enable us to chart our future, a future as boundless as our collective aspiration.

Through this leadership, made possible only by consultation and mutual respect for each student’s views and rights, ALYANSA calls for inclusion and engagement. Only through inclusion and engagement could we tap into our collective potential, and lead our University by the strength of our common endeavor.

We in ALYANSA commit to deliver a University Student Council that matters, and is relevant, to the students. We in ALYANSA commit to solve our problems with practical, commonsense solutions that work for us. We in ALYANSA commit to work for inclusion, seeing that our USC as the heritage of our struggle and the embodiment of our future.

We invite you to join us as we turn a new page in our University’s history, and as we aspire for something greater than ourselves. KASAMA KA sa ALYANSA. KASAMA KA sa USC.

Kasama Ka

2009-12-10T22:40:00.000+08:00

DECEMBER 10, 2009

As we celebrate HUMAN RIGHTS today, may our history as a nation remind us once again of the bitter past that scarred our memories and lives.

NEVER AGAIN TO MARTIAL LAW.

Ipagpatuloy ang laban.
Ipagpatuloy ang paglilingkod.

Iskolar Para Sa Bayan, KASAMA KA.

I
Halika na, sama ka na
Bagong umaga, harapin na
Bawat hamon, kayang-kaya
Dahil di ka nag-iisa

CHORUS
Sa pagbabago, kasama ka
Sa paglilingkod, kasama ka
Mula noon, hanggang ngayon,
Hanggang sa hinaharap—
Kasama ka, kasama ka

II
Kasama ka sa Alyansa
Pagbabago, paglilingkod—
Ipagpatuloy pa natin
Tayo na, walang iwanan,
Iskolar para sa bayan!

CHORUS
Sa pagbabago, kasama ka
Sa paglilingkod, kasama ka
Mula noon, hanggang ngayon,
Sama-samang pagtugon—
Kasama ka, kasama ka
Kasama ka sa Alyansa!

BRIDGE
Sino pang aasahan mo—
Kundi ang yong kapwa Isko—

FINALE
Sa pagbabago, kasama ka
Sa paglilingkod, kasama ka
Mula noon, hanggang ngayon,
Hanggang sa hinaharap—
Kasama ka, kasama ka
Kasama ka sa Alyansa

Sa pagbabago, kasama ka
Sa paglilingkod, kasama ka
Mula noon, hanggang ngayon,
Sama-samang pagtugon—
Halika na, sama ka na
Kasama mo ang ALYANSA!

* * *

KASAMA KA (ALYANSA2010 Theme)
Interpreted by: Alice Corpus
Music by: Jeff Agustin | Words by: Pats Alcantara
Instrumentalists: Ramon Vinzon and Jeff Agustin

One decade of service and leadership

2009-11-15T21:36:00.000+08:00

One decade.

One decade may be a passing era in a lifetime, a heartbeat in human history, or a speck in the universe. Nonetheless, one decade can also represent a quantum leap, a change so fundamental, that it can alter the course of experience.

One decade ago, out of the movement that ousted a president who symbolized decadence and excess, we formed ALYANSA. A decade later, ALYANSA, borne out of the promise of its time, remains true to its calling. ALYANSA remains to be a formation of principles, of values, of character, with an unchanging battle cry challenging students to go beyond themselves, and become Iskolars para sa Bayan.

One decade of existence saw our numerous hurdles and triumphs. Many challenges tested our resolve, but we emerged stronger and wiser. We ousted a president in 2001. We campaigned for volunteerism back in 2002. We pioneered the revision of the UP Charter in 2003, leading to its passage five years after. We led, for the first time, the University Student Council (USC) in 2004. We never faltered against fraternity-related violence in 2005, even at much cost. We ushered in reforms in the Student Regent selection process in 2006. We marched on to bigger gains in the USC in 2007. We brought in the Eco-Active Campaign for the environment in 2008. On that same year, we also launched the STFAP Under Protest, generating a clamor for revising the UP scholarship brackets, which finally led the University to fix the system in 2009. We have been true to our name as Iskolars para sa Bayan, as we mustered the biggest bayanihan for fellow typhoon survivors this year. In ten years, we firmly established ourselves as the best alternative in student politics, an alternative rooted in service.

One decade of existence as ALYANSA could not have been possible without our participation. We were there all along, forging unity through principles, leading with values and character, and serving with utmost pride. It is fitting that our theme, “Kasama Ka sa ALYANSA”, reflects that shared heritage and optimistic view of the future.

Thus, as we press on to the challenges of another decade, we remind ourselves of our past, as we persevere on to the future.

Isang Dekada ng Paglilingkod.

Isang Dekada ng mga Iskolar para sa Bayan.

Isang Dekada ng ALYANSA. Kasama Ka!